Remember Me
by RestoringBones
Summary: Everyone has a different side to themselves, but what if your other side is the one everyone fears? Natsu encounters a man in Oshibana and starts to get memories from his older brother, Zeref, while losing his own. As time goes on, Natsu starts to lose against the battle he has within and becomes something everyone fears, E.N.D.
1. Chapter 1

**I have been wanting to write a story about Natsu becoming E.N.D and I have seen amazing art on Tumblr to help me think of how he would look. Also the recent chapters have helped me immensely to construct the story and I hope you enjoy the chapter and story. :)**

Lucy P.O.V

It's starting again, the same nightmare over and over again. When I close my eyes, I see a starry night with a new moon and a gentle breeze rustling the trees. I'm on the ground holding my arm trying to suppress a gash I got from stopping Natsu. Gray and Erza are nowhere to be found, but Happy is with me. Natsu is on the ground cradling his face in his hands from immense amount of pain he feels internally. He has two black wings with red tips fresh with blood.

Happy looks around to see if Zeref is nearby so he can run towards Natsu, which is interrupted by Natsu glaring at him with anger and confusion. His eyes are black with red pupils. The bandages on his arm are tattered and his hands are morphing into a creature's claw.

"Stay where you are, Cat!" Natsu barks and Happy obeys

"Natsu.." Happy mumbles sadly

"Natsu, please try to think really hard and remember who we are." I demanded but it is futile as he just gets up slowly from the ground and looks at my hand.

"That mark on your hand is the same one I have, what does it mean?" Natsu ask angrily

I get up slowly from the ground, but I feel a small tug on my boot, its Happy. His eyes are getting watery and even though he pokes fun at me, I can see he is worried about my wellbeing. I give him a reassuring smile and walk forward.

"The mark is from Fairy Tail, it's a guild and it's where you belong, Natsu." I say calmly as reach him. His hands are full of black scales and his nails have become long talons. I looks into his eyes and he is trying to remember, but like Master says, it might be futile.

"Do you love this guild?" Natsu ask

"I love it more than anything." I answer. I see his demeanor change from being aggressive to concern. I reach out to grab his hand, but he pulls back.

"If you love this guild then let me die!" Natsu screams as he starts to dash through the forest.

"Natsu!" I scream as I wake up from the nightmare. I look outside to see that the morning sun is rising slowly. There is no point in me falling back to sleep, so I get up and get dressed to go to the guild. I go to the bathroom to take a shower to help me wake up then go to brush my teeth.

I put my hair in low pigtails then put on a white shirt that has blue markings with a blue skirt and long black boots. I eat a small breakfast then head out. It has been about a year since Fairy Tail finally opened and I'm happy that everyone is together again. As I reach Fairy Tail, I see Mirajane and Lisanna opening the door to the guild. Even with all this chaos with END and Zeref, Mirajane and Lisanna always bear a smile.

"Good morning, Lucy." Mirajane and Lisanna say in unison

"Good morning, Mira and Lisanna." I reply back. Mira is wearing her trademark pink dress while Lisanna wears shorts with a white shirt.

"Why so early, Lucy?" Mira ask as she opens the door.

"Wanted to get an early start." I say smiling.

We enter the guild and it still has that 'welcome home' feeling lingering. It brings me happy memories as I sit on the barstool. I sense someone next to me and it is Lisanna. She has that same cheerful attitude like Mira which is refreshing in the morning.

"Are you okay, Lucy? You seem a bit tired." Lisanna questions. I guess my lack of sleep is noticeable.

"I'm fine, just been having a few bad nightmares, no big deal." I reassure

"Do these nightmares have the same pattern because maybe there's a meaning behind them?" Lisanna ask and I nod.

"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe we can find a cause." Lisanna says happily. Her helpful attitude is one of her best traits and I can see why Natsu likes her.

"Basically Natsu is like a demon and he doesn't know who I am or anyone." I confess and it's such a relief to get it out of my chest.

"Well, Natsu can be mischievous like a demon, but they say that seeing a demon could mean you are experiencing some fear in your life." Lisanna states

"I'm not scared of anything, but maybe E.N.D could be behind this since we are nowhere finding it." I answer

"Then I think we found the cause. Do you feel a bit better now?" Lisanna ask and I give her a smile.

"Yeah, thank you." I say. I more movement inside the guild and it seems that some of the members are entering now. Gray and Juvia enter the guild together and Juvia is smitten as usual. Soon Erza enters the guild and greets Gray then Juvia.

It's nice to see everyone laughing and talking like the good old days, I turn to the request board and I see Natsu and Happy looking for a job. I didn't hear them enter which is unusual since Natsu is one of the loudest members here. Natsu picks a flyer from the board and then turns towards my direction.

"Lucy, I found the perfect job for us and the others!" Natsu exclaims

"Yeah, it's perfect and you can pay your rent." Happy adds excitedly

"Really? What's the job?" I ask

"Basically we're patrolling in Oshibana Town because the day shift knights are out with a cold. The reward can be split up evenly among the five of us." Natsu explains as he hands me the flyer.

"So we're going to be there until the night shift knights come?" I ask

"Yup, it's an easy job." Happy says

"What's an easy job?" Gray ask as he walks towards us. For once he has his same white shirt one with black pants, which is great to see him fully clothed.

"Patrolling Oshibana until the night shift knights come." I explain and Gray nods

"Sounds good, let's go tell, Erza." Gray says as Juvia appears behind him

"You're going on a job already?" Juvia ask with a sad look in her eyes.

"Yeah, but it won't be long." Gray says as he places his hand behind his head.

"Fine, but maybe when you get back we can go for a night walk." Juvia says shyly

"Yeah, we can try." Gray says and I get up from my seat to nudge him.

"Actually, we will go for the walk when I get back, okay?" Gray corrects and Juvia smiles wide.

"I'll wait for you, Gray." Juvia says as she walks away.

"Now was that so hard?" I tease

"You liiiiiike her, Gray." Happy teases

"Can we please go tell Erza?" Gray demands as he starts to blush

"Tell me what?" Erza ask

"We got a job and we should head out." Gray replies and Erza nods

"We'll only be there during the day until the night shift knights come." I repeat and she nods

"Well, let's start heading out." Erza says and we follow suit.

* * *

Regular Story Line: Oshibana Town

The group arrives to the town, but Natsu is still suffering from motion sickness and Lucy starts to lift his arm to wrap it around her neck. The group head to the location written on the flyer. It took them no more than 7 minutes to find the place and that's when Natsu starts to act like himself again.

The building just has a black bold sign that says _Station_ above a wooden double door. The building has a white stone wall with two medium size windows, it is about two story tall.

"You're almost undefeatable and battled powerful enemies, yet you loss to a train?!" Lucy exclaims as he gets off me.

"Well everyone has a weakness and that's Natsu, well that and thinking." Happy says

"I thought you were on my side!" Natsu shouts

"Well, I am but I can't lie." Happy says and Natsu sighs. An average size man opens the door and smiles at the group. He is medium built man with light brown hair, he looks similar to Gildarts but not as intimidating.

"I knew I heard voices. You must be the Fairy Tail guild." The man says happily

"Yes, we came here to help you with a job." Erza says with a smile

"Yes, all you have to do is patrol this town until the night shift knights come thn you will get your reward. If you see any criminals, catch them and bring them here for us to handle." The man explains

"Fine by me, Happy and I will patrol this way." Natsu declare

"Aye, Sir!" Happy exclaims as they both start walking away.

"Do you have a name?" Erza ask

"Richard and yours?" Richard ask

"I'm Erza, this is Gray, Lucy, the pink haired boy is name Natsu and the cat is Happy." Erza says

"Nice to meet you all and I apologize for leaving, but I need to finish some paperwork." Richards sighs

"We'll be going as well." Erza says and goes on her own. Gray and Lucy look at each other and shrug; they both go their separate ways.


	2. Chapter 2: Forgotten

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! Also if you have a chance, please leave a review and tell me what you think of the chapter. Hope you guys have a great day or evening.**

Regular Story Line: Oshibana

The town is bustling today with people going to the market place to buy any needed necessities while Natsu and Happy walk leisurely in the town to see if they can catch any suspicious actions, but there were none. Happy uses his aera to get a better look of the path they are walking on.

"See anything suspicious, Happy?" Natsu ask

"Nothing, but I do see a big lake at the end of the town." Happy says eagerly

"How about we go fishing when our shift ends." Natsu declares happily

"Really?!" Happy questions and Natsu nods.

"Hey, there's a shop over there, can we check it out?" Happy ask as he points to a small shop with intricate animal figurines.

"I guess we can take a quick peek before we can continue." Natsu says as he and happy get closer to the shop.

The shop has a display of tiny animal figurine made of what seems like glass. When light hits the figurine, a ray of colors emit from the figurine. The shop keeper is a fair skin old man with a well-kept short white beard, he has a black patch covering his left eye but his right eye is crimson. He looks like he had his fair share of misery as he did not bear a smile when Natsu and Happy were admiring his product.

"Wow, these are beautiful! Did you make these, Mister?" Happy ask as he admires the fish figurine. The old man nods then looks at Natsu.

"Is there something wrong?" Natsu ask as the man removes his eye patch to reveal a white eye. Natsu couldn't stop staring at the white eye, but something inside him snaps as he tries to look away. Happy is oblivious to what is happening as he admires the other figurines.

"You think you can hide it any longer? Once you embrace it, everything will be easier for you and your companion." The old man mutters softly then covers his eye with his eye patch.

"Wow, have you see this one, Natsu?" Happy ask gleefully as he looks at Natsu. He sees Natsu stare blankly at the man.

"Natsu?" Happy repeats and Natsu shakes his head then looks at happy.

"Yeah, buddy?" Natsu ask

"They have a dragon figurine over here." Happy states

"That's awesome, but let's continue patrolling." Natsu declares as he walks away from the shop and Happy waves the old man goodbye. The old man lets out a sigh then closes his eye.

Natsu and Happy continue to patrol the quiet town until the sun sets, which meant that the night shift knights will be coming soon. Natsu and Happy went to the lake at the far end of the town to fish; none of the fish were biting, but ten minutes later, Natsu catches a big fish for Happy. Happy nibbles on his fish as they walk back to the station, while Natsu fights a painful headache. Happy looks up at Natsu with concern as he didn't say a word after they finish fishing.

"Are you okay, Natsu?" Happy ask and Natsu looks at him

"It's nothing, I have to check on something back in that guy's shop, so go to the station without me." Natsu orders as he starts to walk back to the shop.

"I'll go with you." Happy says as he starts to run behind Natsu, but Natsu starts running.

"It'll be quick, okay." Natsu yells from afar. Happy knows there's no point in arguing with him, so he walks back to the station.

* * *

Natsu P.O.V

My head is pounding, but I need to go back to the shop and see if the old man is there. Everything was fine until he showed me his white eye and my head starts hurting me. I dodge a few incoming townspeople so I don't break my stride, but something else is happening to me. I'm starting to forget bits and piece of my past from when I first met Igneel to how I got my scarf. As pieces of my memory fades, a new one comes in; I see Zeref practicing dark magic, which is forbidden, but he looks so focused and seems to try to perfect something.

I shake away the thought and look to see that I made it back to the old man's shop, but he wasn't there anymore. I curse under my breath and try to calm myself, but a wave of pain hits my head as I kneel down on the ground grasping my head while closing my eyes. Another memory enters and it's Zeref playing with a young boy, which looks like me. I see the two happily playing and I'm calling him my brother and he smiles.

A crowd of people surround me and watch me with curious eyes. I get up slowly to see them looking at me quizzically. I soon forgot about my childhood memories about being in the guild and how I witnessed Happy hatching from an egg.

"Young man, are you alright?" A woman ask and I look at her.

"I need to go home." I mutter then start to sprint out of the group and head towards the nearest train station, which makes me sick to my stomach but I need to write something before I forget anything else. I need to write a letter, that's what I'll do and I know who to send it to. I start to run faster than ever to the make it in time to the station.

It took me a few minutes but I made it to the train station and rushed into the first train that's heading to Magnolia. An attendant greets me happily but no was not the time for greetings. A wave of nausea settle in my stomach, which I need to ignore right now.

"Do you have a paper and something to write with?!" I ask fervently and the attendant looks at me worriedly as he hands me a pencil from his shirt pocket then goes to room next door to get me a sheet of paper.

"Thank you." I say as I run to the nearest seat. The headache came back worse than ever as the train starts to move. This time the two happy siblings change into Zeref tearfully looking at a burning house then running inside to see me lying on the floor unconscious. He rushed to my side then picked me up and leaves the house running while holding me in his arms.

I shake the memory away and start to write the letter. I wrote explaining everything from my memory leaving and about the new ones entering. I close my eyes shut as the pain increases tenfold and I see Zeref crying out for me to wake up as he places his head on my chest, tears fall down his face as he holds my limp body close to his. I open my eyes and tears fall down on the paper, but I can't stop now. I continue to write even though another memory enters, but this one catches my attention as I see Zeref using dark magic on me, he stands close to me and smiles to see that I start to breathe again.

I incorporate whatever I just saw into the letter then fold it in half. My stomach is twisting and turning as the train starts to slow down. I start to forget bits and pieces of my memory again, but as soon as the train stops, I leap out of my seat then rush out of the door. I am fighting to remember where she lives as I clutch her letter tight in my hand. I ran to her apartment before I start to forget about her, I fight to make sure she doesn't fade away. I made it to her apartment and enter it then place her letter on the table.

My head starts pounding again from another memory entering, this time it's just Zeref looking at me and quietly whispering ' _You'll be the one to kill me, E.N.D_ ' then leaves me. I look at the letter then leave the apartment sadly from the new memories. I look around wondering where I was then start walking until I found somewhere to sleep. In my head I see two hands giving each other a high five and one hand has a pink mark. I don't know who it was but it was fading away slowly.

* * *

Regular Story Line: Oshibana

The old man from the shop stands under a tree while staring at the lake. His tall frame leans against the tree for support and tries to relax a bit. He hears footsteps coming from behind and looks behind to see the same man that came to him a while back. He changed his clothes and is now wearing a black and white outfit, but he has not aged one bit.

"You remembered our spot." The man says calmly

"He came by today, Zeref." The old man responds as Zeref comes closer to him.

"And you did what I told you?" The Zeref ask

"By now his old memories are locked away inside him and your memories resurfaced." The old man says

"But you are aware of his true form, correct?" The old man ask as Zeref looks at the old man with his black eyes.

"I am aware for I am the one who created him." Zeref states

"I see, but why have I remove his memory?" The old man questions

"So it would be easier for him to kill." Zeref says bluntly as he looks into the lake.

"And what would happen to him after?" The old man ask

"When his job is done, he will die with me. I'm sparring him a life of isolation and fear." Zeref says as he starts to walk away

"Do you know the meaning of that mark he has on his shoulder?" Zeref ask as he turns his back.

"It belongs to a guild in Magnolia named Fairy Tail." The old man answer as Zeref walks away.


	3. Chapter 3: The Letter

**Thank you so much for the sweet reviews! I'm so happy that you guys like the story so far and thank you again for reading. :)**

Regular Story Line: Oshibana

Inside the station, Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Happy wait for Natsu to return back from visiting the old man from the shop. As the sun sets lower, the group grows restless and wonder if Natsu forgot about coming back. Erza gets up from the chair to stretch her legs then looks at her friends. Richard returns from the back to reward the team for patrolling the town. Happy takes the jewels to split with Natsu later.

"He's taking too long, we should look for him. Happy do you know where the shop is?" Erza ask as she looks at Happy

"Aye!" Happy declares as he sprouts his angel wings then flies out the open door while Erza, Lucy, and Gray follow him. Happy starts to gain speed, so he can get to Natsu faster which causes Lucy, Gray, and Erza to start running.

"Is something wrong, Happy?" Lucy ask

"Something doesn't feel right." Happy says as he gets closer to the shop and Natsu's is nowhere to be found. Happy lands on the ground and changes back to normal

"Natsu!" Happy screams but no one answers

Lucy, Erza and Gray looks around to see Natsu is not anywhere in this area. Happy starts to get nervous when he can't find Natsu until a woman walks up to the group.

"Are you looking for the boy with pink hair?" The woman ask

"You saw him?! Do you know where he went?" Happy ask

"I don't know the exact location, but he said he needs to go home. I'm sorry if that's not enough infor…" The woman says

"That's good enough for me." Happy interjects as he starts to sprout his angel wings again then starts to fly to the train station.

"Thank you!" Gray, Lucy and Erza say in unison as they follow Happy.

"Why would he want to get back without us?" Lucy ask

"Beats me, he's probably knocked out inside the train sick to his stomach." Gray answers and Lucy nods her head.

The group makes it to the train station and look around to see if by any chance Natsu is passed out from his motion sickness, but he was nowhere to be found again. The group now starting to get worried about him and as more people enter the train station, it is becoming harder to look for him. Lucy looks around to find an attendant standing next to an open train, she walks towards the attendant and takes a deep breath.

"Excuse me, sir, but have you seen a boy with pink hair?" Lucy ask as the attendant looks at Lucy

"He entered this train not too long ago. He had a frantic look in his eyes like if he was scared." The attendant answers and Lucy thanks him.

She runs back to her friends to let them know what she found out. They head to the train Natsu went to earlier and checked every seat inside, but nothing. They sit down and wait for the train to start moving. Happy sits next to Lucy and wonders where Natsu could be.

"The attendant said he looked scared. What do you think happened to him while he went to the shop?" Lucy ask as the train starts to move.

"He started to ask weird when we went fishing, but it was nothing." Happy adds

"What do you mean he was acting weird?" Gray ask as he looks at Happy

"He seemed distant when I talked to him." Happy answers

"That idiot better have a good excuse why he left us behind." Gray says angrily as he looks at the window. Gray does care for Natsu, but there are times Natsu really tests Gray to the point that they start fighting, it's a love and hate relationship.

"I just hope he's okay." Erza says calmly as she looks at the ground. She knew Natsu since they were little and she considers him as a close friend or a brother. The train stops slowly as it reaches its destination, the group gets up to start heading towards their guild.

The group starts to run again to see if Natsu is at the guild; Lucy feels uneasy about this situation and wonders is Natsu is okay. Happy sprouts his angel wings then starts to use his max speed to get to the guild faster. Erza, Gray, and Lucy watch Happy speeding up and decide to run faster as well. However, once Happy reaches the guild, Natsu is nowhere to be found. Happy drops to his knees feeling exhausted and worried about his friend. He hears footsteps from behind and turns happily thinking its Natsu, but its Lucy, Gray and Erza.

"Is Natsu here?" Gray ask. Everyone looks around and shake their head.

"Wasn't he supposed to be with you?" Levy ask as she looks up from her book

"He was, but he left us behind." Gray answers

"Juvia hasn't seen Natsu, Gray." Juvia says as he walks towards him. Makarov hears the conversation and gets up from his seat then stands on top of the bar table.

"Give him until tomorrow to show up, if he doesn't you four can search for him." Makarov declares

"Go home and rest because if Natsu isn't here then you'll have a busy day." Makarov adds then goes back to his seat.

"Gray, if you don't want to go for the walk then we can do it another time." Juvia says as she looks down on the ground. Lucy nudges him again and he sighs.

"This day turned out to be stressful, so the walk would help me a bit." Gray mutters and Juvia smiles wide. Gray looks at Lucy and she gives him a thumbs up, he lets out a small smile. Juvia walks outside and Gray walks behind her.

The evening sun is about to go down as Lucy starts to walk out of the guild. She turns around to see Happy standing at the door. She looks at him worriedly as she walks back to him then bends down to meet him eye to eye.

"What are you going to do, Happy?" Lucy ask calmly. The blue exceed looks at her worriedly.

"I'll just head home and wait for Natsu there." Happy answers confidently

"You're going to stay there alone?" Lucy questions

"Yeah, but that's okay because I know Natsu will come." Happy says as Lucy feels a pain chest when she thinks of Happy waking up alone to see the house empty.

"Well, how about I stay with you to keep you company until Natsu comes." Lucy offers and Happy's eyes light up.

"Really? That's great, we can have like a sleepover!" Happy shouts eagerly and Lucy smiles.

"Let me just get some stuff from my apartment and we can go, alright?" Lucy replies

"Aye, Lucy!" Happy says as he and Lucy start to walk to her apartment. Erza looks at them with a smile then starts to head towards the female dormitory.

* * *

Lucy P.O.V

It feels weird to see Happy without Natsu and I hope that he's coping well. Happy seems so confident that Natsu will come back soon, but I hope he does for his sake. The evening sun looks so beautiful right now as t light up Magnolia one last time before night falls. As I head to my apartment, I hear some shouting and I turn my head to see two men on a small boat looking at me.

"Lucy, someone was looking for you!" The man says as he stops his friend from paddling the boat.

"Who?" I ask

"Some kid with pink hair, he seemed kinda lost where your apartment was and we told him, he entered." The man says as the other man starts to paddle away.

"Natsu!" Happy and I shout as we enter my apartment, but no one was home.

"We missed him." Happy says sadly

"Don't worry, Happy, he'll come back soon." I reassure, but frankly, I feel a sense of doubt. I look at my small table to see a letter there and I walk towards it. I open it:

 _Lucy, I don't know what's happening to me, but I need to write this before I forget about you too. That old man did something to me, because I'm forgetting everything. I'm getting new memories too and they hurt so much. My head is throbbing right now and my stomach is in knots from this train. The new memories are coming rapidly while my memories start fading, but that's not the point. In these memories, I see Zeref and he's my brother, but then something else happened. Lucy, I died in a fire and he brought me back to life using dark magic; I'm E.N.D, Lucy. I don't know how you and the other will react, but I'm sorry for all the pain and chaos I have brought. I'm sorry that I left, but I can't risk this opportunity to warn you._

 _Natsu_

My body feels like it was hit by a train when I saw wet marks on the letter; he cried while writing this. I collapse on the ground from the shock and Happy walks over to see what was in the letter. His body is trembling from the shock and looks at me with pleading eyes.

"No, it can't be." Happy whispers softly and I stroke his cheek. He walks towards to me and I hug him tight.


	4. Chapter 4: Mind Your Business

**Hope you guys enjoy the chapter and if you have a chance, leave a review and tell me what you think about the chapter. :)**

Natsu P.O.V

It won't stop, the pain is radiating all over my body as I kneel onto the ground. I was able to find a spot to sleep in the forest, but the pain started to come all of a sudden. My eyes are throbbing from this process causing the veins in my eyes to bulge. I feel something overcoming one eye and I don't want to know what. I hear something from afar like small footsteps. I get up quickly ignoring the pain and run as far as I can.

"Is this what E.N.D is?" I whisper painfully

I clutch my side to feel my ribs are breaking, but they're doing something else, they are fusing to get to make room for my heart and lungs. My heart is growing rapidly as well as my lungs, which explains why I can run faster. However, it's cut short when my back lets out a loud crack causing me to bend over in pain.

"AH" I scream violently

"Is someone there?" A voice ask

I hear someone coming and I can't move from where I am due to the immense pain I'm experiencing, so I start dragging my body across the ground. I hear footstep getting louder followed by a loud gasp. I turn around to see a man wearing black loose fitting pants with a button up black and orange cotton jacket. He's wearing black Japanese clogs. His hair is spiked up with red tips at the top and his bangs are not letting me see his eyes, but they look bright, no sliver gray.

"Hey, are you okay?" The man ask and I stay frozen. He's walking closer towards me, I can see he has a Kanji on his back. The closer he gets, I see that he's fairly tan.

"Stay where you are!" I shout as I glare at him. His facial reaction is unwelcoming but I ignore it. I push my body off from the ground painfully, but I got up. I look up at the moon, it's glowing brightly in the night sky.

"You look like you need medical attention immediately." The man say worriedly. I look away from the moon and look at the man.

"Worry about yourself!" I growl and he stays where he is and eyes my shoulder.

"You're from Fairy Tail?" The man ask as he points at the mark on my shoulder.

"What?" I question ignoring the pain in my joints.

"Yeah, you have a guild mark on your shoulder. Do you know where the guild is?" The man ask

"You're asking the wrong person. Leave me alone." I demand as I turn my back, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"You shouldn't go out there in your condition. You need medical attention!" The man shouts

"And you need to stop asking pointless questions." I shout as I turn to slice him with my nails. He dodges quickly and stands from afar. I look at my nails and they have become sharp talons.

"People say my stubbornness will get me killed one day, but so far it just makes me stronger." The man says as he starts to requip "Guardian of the Mystic Gate" the man adds.

He is wearing a red and black headband with a similar outfit he had before, but instead it's purple and red with tribal designs running around the armor. He is carrying a large purple and red staff in his hand now. I am in the mood to fight, but I need to get rid of him so I can find a place to sleep.

"If you walk away, I'll spare you." I reason but he gives me a smirk

"And give up a challenge, never." The man remarks as he dashes towards me quickly then pelts my side with his staff, my ribs are screaming as I turn around feeling rage fueling my body now.

"You're going to regret doing that." I warn as run towards his direction.

"I don't wish to fight you, but to help you. However, you started this fight and I'm going to end it." The man declares as he grips onto his staff harder then throws his arm back and brings it back quickly, a portion of his staff detaches and acts like a whip. It pelts me again on the same side and I glare at him.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" I shout as I spew fire at him and he dodges it, but a part of his arm got burned by the flames. I run towards him before he uses his staff again then punch his in the face.

He is caught off guard then resumes to collect his composure to side sweep me with his staff. I fall to the ground as he then maneuvers his staff on top of my face then brings it down forcibly. I roll over to the right side quickly to miss it by an inch. I set my hand on fire to then deliver a punch to his stomach, he drops his staff and I corner him to a tree with my fist ready to strike.

"I gave you a chance to leave and you didn't take it." I growl but he smiles as he grabs my shoulders tight and slams his head against my head. I recoil which gives him enough time to grab his staff.

He extends his staff again to have it slam against my other side and with a swift movement, he slams my other side. I drop to my knees trying to catch my breath, but this isn't over yet.

"I am willing to stop this nonsense if you are willing to admit that you need help!" The man shout and I couldn't help but laugh. A sense of darkness envelops me, it could be from the night or the transformation, but I want his blood on the ground.

"You think this is a game? I hate to disappoint you, but this is a fight you're going to lose." I whisper as I look up to see his face, it's calm, but his eyes show fear. In his eyes, I saw mine, one of them is black with a red pupil.

"You're confident for someone who fell down a couple of times." The man quips. Something came over me as I pounce on top of the man then pin him to the ground with my talons. I sink them deeper into his shoulder until I hit something hard, it's a bone.

"The Devil is right in front of me." The man whispers as I remove one of my hands from his shoulder then raise it to strike a punch. He forcibly strike his knee in my leg then slugs me at the left side of my face. I slash his torso with my free hand, he lets out a muffle groan then shoves me off. He clutches his shoulder tightly to suppress the bleeding.

"The Jesters Illusion." The man shouts as requips again. He has a closed long black and red jacket with a high collar that separates a red hood with tight black pants and shoes. He has some shurikens hanging from his waist and in one hand he has a kunai and in the other a dagger.

"Let's dance, Devil." The man barks as he glares at Natsu.

"I'll lead." I tease angrily as he rushes to the man, but in a swift and calculated manner, the man stabs me in the chest with the dagger. I recoils and hold my wound.

"You dirty.." I grunts as I tries to do my Fire Dragon's Roar but nothing came out.

"A cut or stab from my dagger will temporary halt your magic. I guess you're going to have to find another way to fight." The man taunts.

"All I need is my talons to rip you apart." I threaten

I run towards him quickly then roundhouse kick his side. He removes one of his shurikens then flings it in my direction, I catch it with my hand easily and aim it towards his face then I fling it. He dodges it and heads towards the forest. I follow him, I have his scent but he is nowhere to be found. I stand still listening to my surroundings, I hear movement from above.

"Fire Dragon King's Roar!" I shout but my magic hasn't return yet. I look up to see three shurikens heading towards my direction at rapid speed, I leap of the area, but one of them slashes my ankle deep. The man then appears in front of me and kicks me under my chin. I flew to the other side, I spit of a small amount blood from my mouth and glare at the man.

"Have you had enough?" The man ask. Suddenly a surge of fire swims through my veins, I crack a small smile.

"Fire Dragon King's roar!" I shout as a wave of fire escapes my mouth and hits the man. He lets out a brutal scream as the flames lick his armor. Once the fire dies out, the man was gone.

"Stubbornness kills." I mumble as I limp away from the scene to find a place to sleep.

* * *

Lucy P.O.V

My body is still trembling from what I just read, it can't be true. Natsu can't be E.N.D, he's not a villain or feared, unless you're fighting him. He's the one who introduced me to this guild without a second thought and gave him a family that cares for me. He isn't what they said in the books, he isn't a demon and he isn't a monster! He couldn't have died because he's here living and breathing, but he can't be that old? I look down to see Happy quiet as he looks up to me with pleading eyes.

"Lucy, this is a fake, right? This is just like one of your story." Happy reasons as he starts to get teary eyed. I shake my head to fight the tears as I clutch the letter in my hand.

"The guild is closed now, so we'll tell them tomorrow." I declare as I get up from the floor.

"Do you think they'll take it well?" Happy ask as I get spare clothes and a set of pajamas.

"I don't know, Happy." I mutter as I enter the bathroom to take a quick shower before I head to Natsu's house. I remove my clothes then head inside the shower, I turn the dial and sit on the floor as the water falls down on me.

There is so much information to process within the short time span and delivering the news won't be easy for the guild. I scrub my body with soap then I rinse off the soap. I catch a glance at my guild mark, I feel a wave a serenity and warmth all over my body because I know that our guild will find a way to save him. I turn off the shower and get dry, I put on a pair of short with a plain shirt and sandals then leave the bathroom. I found Happy looking at the window while I pack some toiletries and my pajama's in my bag.

"Ready to go?" I ask

"Aye," He says as he opens my window then uses his aera.

"Uh, what are you doing?" I ask as he flies towards me then wraps his tail around my waist.

"Going to my house, right?" Happy answers as he flies out of my apartment then closes my window.

"Happy, we could just walk there!" I exclaim as I hold my bag.

"Nope, that'll take too long, Lucy!" Happy explains as he flies to his home. I know he's doing this so he can be there if Natsu shows up, I let out a small smile.


	5. Chapter 5: Kaden Lyel

**Thank you for leaving reviews for the previous chapter. I might do another Fairy Tail fic once this one is done. Hope you are enjoying your winter break so far. :)**

Regular Story Line: Natsu's house

Happy drops Lucy off in front of the small house, she hasn't been here since she cleaned the house for them as an attempt to surprise them. However, she later on found them in her house sleeping while waiting for her. Lucy looks at the sign that says _Natsu and Happy,_ she's apprehensive about how the interior of the house is since she last cleaned it. Happy opens the door and to Lucy's surprise, the house is immaculate. She stands dumfounded as she looks around the house. Happy looks back at Lucy then cocks his head to the side.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Happy ask

"The house is so clean." Lucy utters

"Oh, when we left your house, we came back to the house like this and we knew you cleaned it. Natsu and I knew how hard you worked on it, so we have been maintaining it." Happy says with a smile. Lucy feels a tug in her chest from the comment and smiles.

"Are you hungry?" Happy ask as he walks over to Lucy and grabs her bag. He places it gently on the brown sofa.

"Not really, but thank you." Lucy says as she walks over the sofa then sits down.

"Well, I'm going to make dinner and I'll leave you a bowl." Happy says as he walks over to kitchen and starts to prepare dinner. Lucy stares at Happy chopping some vegetables then dumping them in a small pot.

Lucy begins to get a bit sleepy and closes her eyes slowly. She hasn't slept well in a while, so she hopes that maybe she can get a few minutes of sleep. However, it's just wishful thinking. In her dream, she's running away from a dark force that's enveloping the forest rapidly. She's trying to find Natsu or anyone to see if they're okay, but she's alone in the forest. She sees a white scarf on the floor soaked with blood, her heart stops as she runs closer to see it slowly disintegrating.

She calls Natsu's and hears someone coming from behind, she looks back to see Zeref walking towards her. His red eyes cause her to shake in fear as he gets closer to her.

"Where's Natsu?!" Lucy demands. Zeref gives her a cold smile

"You'll find out soon." Zeref says as he releases a black wave at Lucy. Lucy feels her body getting weaker as the black wave swirls around her body, she glances where Natsu's scarf was, and it's gone.

"Lucy?" A soft voice ask. Lucy opens her eyes to see Happy staring at her worriedly.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Happy ask. Lucy stares at the small table where she sees three bowls of stew then at Happy.

"Yeah, but I'm fine." Lucy lies as she looks at Happy.

"I made some stew for you." Happy says as he helps Lucy off the sofa.

"You did this for me?" Lucy ask as she gets closer to the table. The stew is light brown with small pieces of vegetables and bits of meat floating on top of the stew.

"Yeah, you're a guest, remember?" Happy says with a smile

"Now let's eat!" Happy adds as he and Lucy begin to eat the stew. Occasionally she looks at the empty chair next to Happy with a bowl of stew still steaming. Lucy knows how close Natsu and Happy are, so to see them apart is an odd thing to witness.

Once they finish eating, Lucy helps Happy with the dishes then glances at Natsu's bowl which is still full. Happy grabs the bowl then places it on the counter; he stares at it sadly. Lucy shuts off the faucet then goes to hug Happy.

"It'll be okay, Happy. He'll come back sooner than you think." Lucy whispers

"I should have followed him. He was acting strange today and I should have done something." Happy cries

"You were following his order, Happy. You didn't know this was happening; we'll find him tomorrow, okay?" Lucy reassures and Happy lets go from the hug then nods at Lucy. Lucy goes to change into her pajamas while Happy leaves to check if Natsu is near the house.

Lucy places her clothes into the bag then brushes her teeth in the kitchen sink. She sees Happy walking inside the house then closes the door. He walks over to the sofa to get comfortable.

"Aren't going to sleep in the hammock?" Lucy questions as Happy looks at her cheerfully.

"No, I want you to sleep comfortably. You look a bit tired, so I think the hammock will be a better fit for you." Happy states. Lucy smiles at Happy, even though he picks on her, he truly does care for his friends.

"I think that hammock can support two people, so how about you and I sleep in the hammock?" Lucy ask

"You're a bit heavy, so I don't think it'll work." Happy teases

"You were doing well until now, Flea bag." Lucy retorts as she climbs up to the hammock then places the blanket over her. She closes her eyes until she feels something heavy near her feet. She opens her eyes to see Happy starting to doze off.

* * *

 **Morning**

Regular Story Line: Fairy Tail Guild

The morning sun rises slowly as Mirajane starts to walk towards the guild, she let Lisanna and Elfman sleep in today. She notices a limping body walking towards the guild, the man has his arm red from what seems to be a burn wound. His hair is limp from sweating due to the morning sun, his clothes are a bit worn out just like his shoes.

"Do you need any help?" Mirajane shouts as she runs towards the man. He collapses into her arms then looks at her with a smile. Mirajane notices that his legs have excessive burn marks. She wonders how he manged to walk all this way.

"You're a sight for sore eyes." The man grins as Mirajane gives a soft chuckle.

"Let's get you to the infirmary, alright?" Mirajane says as she places the man's good arm around her neck then starts walking towards the guild.

"Do you have a name?" The man ask as he wince from the burn wounds. His burn marks on his arm are now flaring up from the sun.

"Mirajane, but you can call me Mira, what's yours?" Mira answers with a smile

"Kaden Lyel." Kaden grunts as Mira starts to open the door to the guild. The morning sun leaks into the guild illuminating the path for Mira as she carries Kaden to the infirmary. Kaden's eyes widen as he looks around the guild, he has heard countless stories about how lively the guild is and just by looking at it, he can't help but smile.

"I guess I found Fairy Tail, the guy in the forest had the same guild mark." Kaden remarks as Mira looks at him quizzically

"You saw someone in the forest with that mark? Where was it?" Mira ask

"On his shoulder, it was red. Man, the guy nearly killed me until I used the bit of strength I had to get out of his flames." Kaden answers as Mira takes him to the second floor.

"Do you know where he was?" Mira ask as she opens the door to the infirmary

"No, I ran, well in this case limped out of the forest, so he might have changed his location." Kanden apologizes as Mira leads him to the bed. Kanden lays down on the bed trying to find a position that doesn't aggravate his burns.

"Why were you in the forest?" Mira ask as she starts to find burn salves to assuage his burns until Wendy comes. Mira find the salve then walks towards Kanden.

"I was looking for this guild, I wanted to join." Kaden answers as he winces from Mira rubbing the burn salve onto his burn marks. She then starts to work on his legs, Kaden winces from her touch.

"Well when you start feeling better, we can arrange something for you to become a member." Mira says with a smile. Kaden gives her a smile. Mira closes the salve then gets up from the bed.

"Mira, why did you let us sleep in?" Elfman shouts as Mira laughs

"Do worry, I know someone who can help with your wounds." Mira reassures as she leaves the room.

 **Hope you like the chapter and if you have a chance, please leave a review. Have a great day/afternoon/night!**


	6. Chapter 6: Natsu?

**Inspiration for this chapter is from listening to My Demons by Starset. If you want to get into the mood with this chapter, read it while listening to the song when you encounter Natsu's P.O.V. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review when you can. :)**

 _'I cannot stop this sickness taking over. It takes control and drags me into nowhere- My Demons'_

Regular Story Line: Fairy Tail Guild

Mira starts to work around the guild while she waits for Wendy. Kaden is resting soundly in the infirmary, which is reassuring to Mira. He got heavily burned from Natsu's flame and it is a miracle he got out alive or that he has skin left. Mira looks up to see Wendy walking into the guild with Carla walking besides her. Mira greets them with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Mira." Wendy says

"Wendy, would it be too much for you to help someone upstairs? He's in rough condition from battling someone." Mira says as Wendy nods. As Wendy walks past Mira, Mira grabs her arm then leans in.

"He has burn wounds from battling Natsu." Mira whispers hoping Elfman, Lisanna, or any wondering members from hearing.

"Wait, how?" Wendy ask quietly avoiding to draw attention.

"I didn't get much details, but later on he might be well enough to answer some questions." Mira answers softly as she looks at the door to see more guild members enter.

"Alright, give me a few minutes." Wendy says as she starts to go up the stairs. Carla stays behind then looks at Mira.

"Did he mention anything else about Natsu?" Carla ask quietly

"All he mentioned was finding him in the forest." Mira answers.

"Good morning, my fine feline." Happy greets as he flies towards Carla.

"Good morning, Happy." Carla replies with a small smile. Lucy walks toward Mira with a letter in her hand. When Happy looks at Lucy with the Letter, his cheerful nature diminishes rapidly.

Carla notices Happy's demeanor change then looks at Lucy to see if anything trigger the mood change, but she couldn't pick up anything. Gray and Juvia walk inside the guild, Gray notices Lucy then starts to walk towards her. He taps her on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Anything from Natsu?" Gray ask. Lucy looks at Gray with a worried look on her face; Lucy notices that Gray is actually wearing a shirt with pants.

"He left a letter in my house yesterday." Lucy says shyly as she grips onto the letter tighter.

"What did he write?!" Gray ask anxiously. Lucy looks at him then at Erza from afar. Erza comes closer to the group then stands next to Gray.

"I think you might want to sit down, Gray." Lucy says trying to see if she can break the news gently.

"I can take it, Lucy. What did he write in that letter?" Gray demands, but his tone show concern for his friend.

"What letter?" Erza ask as she looks at Lucy clutching a letter in her hand.

"Natsu left me a letter yesterday. He's sorry about leaving us behind but he was starting to lose his memory, so he wrote me the letter." Lucy says calmly as she looks at the group. She takes a deep breathe then continues.

"He mentioned that a man in Oshibana did something to him and he's losing his memories, but also getting new ones. His new memories are about his brother, Zeref and how he revived Natsu 400 years ago." Lucy continues as she tries to remain calm.

"Natsu died in a fire and Zeref used black magic to revive him, which created E.N.D." Lucy mutters. She looks up to see every guild member looking at her in utter shock, their skins are pale, their eyes show fear, and the silence is unnerving.

"No, this can't be." Gray murmurs

"I'm sorry, Gray." Lucy apologizes as she places her hand on Gray's shoulder but he retracts back.

"We need to find him now." Gray demands. He looks up to see a man wearing a black and orange high collar jacket with black loose pants.

"Last time I checked he was in the forest outside of your town." Kaden announces from the second floor as he leans on the bannister.

"And you are?" Gray ask

"Kaden Lyel, I fought your friend in the forest last night while looking for this guild. Your friend is not a talkative person." Kaden answers as he looks at Wendy.

"Thank you, Wendy. I hope I didn't get you tired from my burn marks." Kaden says with a smile.

"It was no problem, but shouldn't you be resting?" Wendy asks

"I don't like being bed ridden, it makes me anxious." Kaden confesses. Kaden looks down to see the group is leaving the guild quickly.

"Do you want to start the process now?" Mira ask

"Ready when you are." Kaden smiles

* * *

Regular story line: Forest

Juvia, Gray, Happy, Lucy, and Erza arrive at the forest to find Natsu, however it may take a while. Gray decides to split everyone and Juvia doesn't hesitant to take Gray as her partner. Erza, Lucy and Happy start to walk straight into the forest while Juvia and Gray follow a stream to see if Nastu could be around either bathing or drinking water.

* * *

Natsu P.O.V

His scream lingers in my head as I clean my ankle in the stream; crimson blood flows freely into the water, but it doesn't get rid of the pain in my ankle. I look into the stream to see my other eye has some black spots in the white part of my eye. I slash at the water angrily as I let out a scream. I get up from the stream while ignoring the pain in my ankle. My clothes are tattered from the fight, but it doesn't bother me.

I start to remember my past again which brought more questions than answers. Did he bring me back to life because he cared for me or someone to kill him when the time is right? I feel an odd pressure on my back as I graze my hand on my back. I feel a lump of my back, it's hard and it won't budge from it's spot.

This could be causing my pain! I grasp onto the lump trying to scratch it out with my talons, but it is useless. My breathing became erratic the harder I continue to scratch it off my back, in the end, the back of my jacket is now shredded and my talons are full of blood. I continue walking until I hear like a rustling sound from my left side.

"You think he's around here?" A tiny voice says as I stand still to see a blue cat, a blonde woman, and a scarlet hair woman. Their eyes widen as they look like me. I start to move back slowly.

"Natsu?" The blonde woman says softly. Her voice, something about it makes me stay in my place.

"How do you know my name?!" I scream as I start to move closer to them. I look into their eyes and see anger, fear

"What happened to you?" the scarlet hair woman ask

"Who are you?!" I ask as I feel my back acting up again.

"We're your friends, Natsu. The blonde girl is Lucy, the scarlet hair woman is Erza and I'm Happy" The Happy says

"Liar!" I bark angrily. This pain is unbearable, I can't think, I can't sleep, and all I feel is anger.

"Calm down and come back to the guild with us." Erza advises

"I'm not going anywhere. Just leave me alone." I demand as the pain increases. I hear something breaking through my back.

"AH!" I scream as I kneel on the ground.

"Natsu!" The group screams as they approach me.

"Leave me alone. You'll end up like the other guy." I shout. I hear more footsteps from behind. I turn around to see a woman with blue hair and a guy with dark blue hair.

"Is that Natsu?" The guy with dark blue hair ask.

"He needs help, Gray." Happy declares. I get up slowly from the ground then look at the group.

"I'm so tired being patient with everyone." I grunt. Erza looks at me with a piercing glare.

"Natsu, you're coming with us now!" Erza demands.

"Over my dead body." I laugh as I start to lunge towards Erza.

"Water Lock." The blue hair woman announces. A large sphere full of water traps me and suddenly I couldn't breathe.

"Juvia will keep him there until he is unconscious." The blue hair woman says as I fight to breathe. I lock eyes to Lucy then at Happy. They both have a worried look in their eyes and I feel guilt. I start closing my eyes then feel my body back on the ground.


	7. Chapter 7: Have Faith

Regular Story Line: Fairy Tail Guild

Carrying Natsu was a task for Gray since Natsu's body temperature is now higher than usual. Once they arrived at the guild, everyone had their eyes on them like hawks then moved their attention to Natsu's sleeping body. Gray looks at Freed then cocks his head to the second floor. Freed nods and follows the group upstairs. Once they reach the second floor, they see Kaden sitting on the infirmary bed with his eyes closed and his arms crossed.

The sudden footsteps awaken Kaden as he looks at his former opponent being carried in by Gray. Gray walks towards the back the places Natsu on the floor because his sole wing would not fit on the bed. Freed analyzes Natsu as he draws his sword.

"What do you plan on doing with him?" Kaden ask as he walks to the group.

"You wish to have a barrier around him?" Freed ask as Gray nods his head. Freed creates a wide barrier in the back of the infirmary then adds an inscription in the front.

"A human can enter and leave as they pleased, but those that are part or full demon shall stay inside. Any form of magic cannot penetrate outside or inside of the barrier." Kaden reads as he looks at Freed.

"Sounds a bit harsh?" Kaden questions

"We need to be cautious about his given state." Freed announces as he starts to exit the infirmary.

"If you excuse me, I have to complete a job." Freed adds as he heads downstairs. Happy looks at Natsu sleeping inside the barrier and notices his face grimacing for some reason.

"Do you think I can go in?" Happy ask

"Sorry, Happy, but I think you can't enter." Lucy says sadly as she bends down to pet his head. Happy places on of his paws on the barrier then let's out a sigh.

"We'll fix this, Natsu." Happy declares then looks at Gray.

"I know that man in Oshibana did this to him." Happy says angrily

"Erza and I will go and see if he is still there." Gray says as he starts to leave with Erza.

"Juvia, Happy, and Lucy stay here." Gray demands but Juvia is now grief stricken.

"Why are you leaving me and taking Erza." Juvia thought as Erza looks at Juvia

"Are you alright, Juvia?" Erza ask

"Oh, just fine, make sure you make it back soon." Juvia smile as Gray and Erza leave the infirmary. Kaden walks up to her then places his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I doubt he'll do anything." Kaden reassures and Juvia is shock from his words.

"He's just worried about his friend and he feels better knowing that he's being protected by someone strong like you." Kaden adds then removes his hand from her shoulder. Juvia blushes a bit then smiles at him.

"I'll leave you guys alone but if you need help, don't hesitate to call me." Kaden says as he leaves the infirmary. Lucy catches a glimpse of a sliver guild mark on his neck and she smiles.

"Oh, sorry about that." Kaden apologizes as he blocks Levy from entering.

"It's no problem." Levy smiles as she enters the infirmary with a book in her hand. Natsu slowly opens his eyes to see a crowd of people inside the room. He quietly gets up and observes the scene.

"Levy, what are you doing here?" Lucy ask

"I want to talk to Natsu to see if he know anything else we don't know about E.N.D, well about him. Maybe he knows anything about his connection with Zeref." Levy answers as she looks at Natsu then smiles.

"It's good to see you up." Levy says as Lucy, Happy and Juvia look at Natsu. His other eye is half black now and his pupil is beginning to turn red.

"Can I go inside?" Levy ask

"Yeah, go ahead." Happy says as Levy enters the barrier with ease. Natsu scoots away from her.

"How are you holding up?" Levy ask as Natsu stays quiet.

"Natsu, I know you don't know us, but please let us help you by helping us. If we can find out more about your new state, maybe there is a way to help you and find a way to end Zeref." Levy says softly as she moves closer to him. Levy looks at Natsu's eyes and see something he has never seen in Natsu, pain.

"How about you just read your books and leave me alone. No matter how much you read or question me, you will only waste your time." Natsu retorts. Levy stares at him with disbelief.

Natsu, please don't be so harsh to Levy." Lucy says calmly. Levy looks at Lucy and gives her a small smile then turns to Natsu.

"Is this your way to push us away?" Levy ask

"No, I'm helping you realize that this is all useless." Natsu says as he looks at Levy. She can see that he's not himself and is trying his best to keep everyone at bay.

"All you'll get from me is that the only reason I'm here is because my brother wants me to kill him. Now can you please leave?" Natsu orders and Levy frowns then hugs Natsu.

Levy ignores his intense body heat then squeezes him tight. She lets go from him then gets up from the ground and picks up her book. Before she leaves the barrier she looks at him again.

"Give everyone here a chance, okay?" Levy pleads as she leaves then heads towards Lucy and Happy while Juvia looks at them.

"Please don't lose faith in him. He's still there just a bit lost." Levy whispers then leaves.

"I'll leave you three alone." Juvia says as she leaves the room then closes the door. Lucy looks at Natsu then at Happy.

"At least someone included me in this room." Happy sighs as he touches the barrier, it's solid.

"Got something to say then say it." Natsu barks as he adjusts his position as he feels pressure behind his back. His head is now throbbing from Levy's action.

"You were being rude to her, Natsu." Lucy says as she looks back at him

"She wanted the truth. " Natsu replies as he moves his hand to the lump.

"So what you said to Levy was true?" Lucy ask trying to hide her fear.

"Levy." Natsu whispers as he closes his eyes. He sees random memories between him and her from when they were kids to some current ones. He starts to remember how sweet she is and her willingness to help.

He hears footsteps coming closer to him as he turns he sees Lucy coming to him. He looks at her then starts getting another set of memory flashes to how they first met to their first mission. He shakes his head then looks at Lucy's eyes to see someone who is sweet and loving.

"Don't push us away, please." Lucy whispers as she grabs his hand. Something inside Natsu snaps as he look at the blue cat trying to break inside the barrier.

"I'll find a way to get in here, Natsu. Just give me some time." Happy shouts as he tries to get inside the barrier. Natsu's eye widen as he gets more memories with Happy from finding the egg to watching him hatch.

"Get out now!" Natsu screams as he shoves Lucy out of the barrier then falls to the ground.

"Natsu!" Happy and Lucy scream as they watch him grow another wing from his back. He clawing at the floor to calm himself down, but it doesn't work.

"What's going on?" Kaden asks fervently as he looks at Natsu clawing at the floor.

"Is Freed back yet? The guy with long green hair" Lucy ask as she gets up from the ground.

"I don't think so, why?" Kaden ask

"We need to get him out of there to help him." Lucy answers as she runs out looking for Levy. She finds her reading a book next to Panterlily.

"Levy, we need you right now!" Lucy commands as Levy drops her book then rushes upstairs. Levy walks in to see Natsu growing horns from his head and it's hurting him immensely.

"Can you rewrite the runes so Natsu can get out? He needs something to put him at ease." Lucy ask

"Alright, it should just take me a few minutes." Levy says as she runs towards Natsu and starts to rewrite the runes.

"Happy go get Cana." Lucy demands as Happy leaves the room to get Cana. Kaden turns to Lucy then sees Levy destroying the runes.

"Don't get near me." Natsu begs as he looks at Levy. His eye is now fully black with a red pupil.

"Lucy, Happy says you need some help?" Cana ask as she enters the room to see Natsu whimpering in the back.

"You have a card that can make him sleep right? Can you use it to help him?" Lucy begs as Cana nods her head then walks towards Natsu. She gets a card from her bag then aims it at Natsu; a soft glow emits from the card. Natsu starts to relax then closes his eyes to sleep.

"Poor guy must be going through a lot." Levy says as she starts to lift him up. Kaden rushes to Levy's side and picks up Natsu's other side.

"Here let me help you." Kaden says as Levy smiles

"Thank you." Levy says as she and Kaden position Natsu to his side so it doesn't bother his wings. Lucy walks over to him then moves his bangs from his eyes. She leans close to him and hears his breathing erratic from the incident.

"Have faith in us, please." Lucy whispers as she sits across from him. Kaden and Levy leave them and hope that Gray and Erza bring some good news later on.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. If you have a chance, please leave a review. I have another story in mind and I can't wait to write it. :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Acceptance

**Hope you enjoy the chapter! When you have a chance, please leave a review. :)**

Regular Story Line: Oshibana

The trip to Oshibana is quiet while Gray, Erza, Wendy and Carla look at the window to see the changing landscape pass them by Their heads are full of worry and doubt for what they are going to expect when they see that man. Shortly, the train stops and they arrive in Oshibana, which is just as quiet and serene as yesterday. Gray and Erza start walking towards the man's shop while Wendy walks besides Erza. Gray sees the little shop with the animal figurines up ahead then starts to walk faster.

The man is sitting on a chair while he stares blankly at walking pedestrians as if he himself is in a trace. When Gray runs up to his shop, the man was not faze, instead he turns his attention to Gray. The man's crimson eye sends a chill down Gray's spine, but he shakes it off once he hears Erza and Wendy run up to him.

"Sir, you had a customer here yesterday that had pink hair, which is very hard to forget." Gray says as he continues looking at the man. The man is an elderly fellow with smooth aging skin.

"Yes, but it seems he has already forgotten about you." The man laughs and Erza is not enjoying the man's joke.

"This is a serious situation, sir. Can you please take it seriously?" Erza demands with a stern look in her eyes. Wendy creeps past Erza and makes her way to the front of the shop to see the mysterious man.

"Excuse me, but we're trying to help our friend and you're the last person he saw before he started to act strange." Wendy pleads quietly. The man looks at her then shifts his attention to the street.

"We live in a world full of cynics and hypocrites, young lady. Everywhere you go you see friendships being made and broken in a matter of seconds. However, you're young so you instantly see the good in people no matter how wicked they can be." The man lectures as he begins to stare at the group intensely.

"Countless times I have heard people saying they love each other for better or for worse, countless times I have seen a loving couple turn into acquaintances in a matter of days and as each day passes by, hypocrisy grows fervidly. No matter what they say, no one like change no matter if it's good or bad." The man continues

"What are you going on about?" Gray questions with a curious look in his eyes.

"I have been blessed with a curse, dear boy. I have the ability to unlock a person's true side. Throughout time, I realized that I can also manipulate anything in their mind from repressing a certain memory or locking away their memories." The man explains as he touches his patch.

"So is that what you did to our friend?" Erza ask while she crosses her arm.

"Yes, however I was instructed to do so." The man answers calmly. The man has a stone wall face as the group continues questioning him. Gray slams his hand on the counter of the shop causing the figurines to shake.

"Who gave you those orders?!" Gray shouts. The man sighs as he removes the patch from his eye to reveal a dull white eye. Gray stays fixated on the eye while ignoring his friends calling out for him. The man smiles then places his patch back where it belongs.

"Gray, are you alright?" Wendy ask as she looks up at Gray.

"What did you do?" Gray mutters quietly.

"Don't worry, you won't suffer your friend's fate. However, I did encounter something interesting." The man smiles

"It seems that I forgot to mention that I can see through a person's hidden intentions or thoughts. Whatever I see will help me determine the outcome of your friend." The man continues

"So what is the outcome?" Carla ask as she looks at the man as he lift his patch again to look through Carla then moves to Wendy and lastly Erza. The three stay quiet as they stare deeply into the dull white eye. He places the patch back where it belongs.

"I recommend you start finding another friend, maybe one you're willing to accept." The man quips as he starts to get up from his chair.

"Who gives you the right to determine that?!" Gray shouts again as Era grips tight on his shoulder.

"You did, boy. I may be old, but I still have a lot of fight left in me." The man warns as Gray calms down.

"You think you can save your friend when your heart is full of doubt? You don't have a clue about what's best for him except for yourself." The man retorts.

"How do we save our friend?" Wendy ask politely.

"In order to remove this 'curse' so to speak, is very simple but it can be a difficult task for others." The man answers calmly

"Well what it is?" Wendy asks.

"Acceptance. As ridiculous it may sound, it is one of the hardest thing to obtain in this given age." The man sighs sadly.

"We do accept him and he isn't changing." Gray says softly.

"Ah, the walking contradiction decides to speak like a civil person." The man exclaims

"Okay, we came here for help not for you to start making snappy remarks." Gray says with exasperation.

"Do you truly believe that you have accepted your friend? Feel free to stop me if I say anything wrong. You want to fulfil your father's dying wish which we know you are contemplating whether how you want to execute him, no?" The man explain but Gray stays silent. The man clears his throat then turns to Erza.

"Same rule applies to you. You're wondering how you will protect your guild and loved one if the boy were to attack them." The man adds as Erza remains quiet then turns his attention to Lucy and Carla.

"Now you two were an interesting case; the young woman is trying to find a way to help her friend but is afraid about how is she going to convince the guild to join her side. Her companion wonders how she will protect the young lady from him." The man finishes as he starts at the group.

"Everyone is eager to say how much they care for each other but once you see something you don't like, you run away. Words won't save him but your actions will. Once the people he loves deeply start showing that they care, he will start to get memories linked with that person. After his memory returns, he will slowly turn back to normal." The man lectures as he turns away from the group.

The man then leaves the group alone with their thoughts. Wendy's fears are manifesting into a nightmare once she starts to see a grim look on Erza and Gray's face. They walk towards the station to go back home and find a way to break the news to the guild.

* * *

Regular Story Line: Fairy Tail Guild

Lucy watches Natsu sleeping soundly on the infirmary bed. Lucy swiftly moves strands of Natsu's hair from his eyes and notices that his body temperature is getting hotter. Happy leaps onto the bed to examine Natsu closely to see more tattoos on his arms. The closer Happy gets to Natsu, a strong wave of heat emits from Natsu's body, but Natsu is not sweating.

"I don't think he has a fever but his body temperature is hotter than before." Happy says as he looks at Lucy.

"Let's hope it doesn't get there." Lucy mutters as she notices that the bandages she wrapped around his ankles has a small red dot on it. A soft knock makes Lucy and Happy look away from Natsu.

"You can enter." Lucy announces as Kaden enters the room wearing his high collar jacket that hides his guild mark but certain movements show his silver guild mark radiating in the light.

"How's he doing?" Kaden ask as he walks toward Natsu.

"He's finally sleeping for once and I manage to bandaged a wound he has on his ankle. Kaden slyly places his hand behind his head and gives a shy smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Things got a bit fierce when we started fighting." Kaden says with a smile.

"Guess you guys need to start a new leaf when everything is back to normal." Happy says cheerfully

"I hope so." Kaden says as he looks at Natsu. Suddenly Juvia barges into the room with a smile on her face.

"Gray and the others are back!" Juvia exclaims happily then lefts to greet them. Lucy stares at Natsu worriedly.

"Go on, I'll watch him, I doubt he'll be much trouble now." Kaden reassures as Lucy smiles then leaves the infirmary with Happy.

Lucy looks at Gray and senses tension but she shakes off her feeling. She runs down the stairs with Happy by her side to see if they find out anything.

"Did you find out how to help Natsu?" Levy ask as Gray lets out a sigh.

"The man in Oshibana has an ability to make someone reveal their true side and causing them to either repress their memory or lock it away. Unfortunately, Natsu has fallen prey to this." Gray explains as he avoids looking everyone in the eye.

"So is there a way to remove it?" Romeo ask

"In order to remove it, we have to accept him without any shred of doubt." Gray answers as the guild starts to whisper among themselves.

"That shouldn't be difficult, right?" Mira ask

"It isn't but others will tell you differently." Wendy says softly.

"What does she mean, Gray?" Juvia asks fearing to hear his answer. Gray clenches his fist to in order to remain calm.

"I have to fulfil my father's wish." Gray mutters

"But that means you will have to kill…" Lucy says as she trembles to finish the sentence.

"I have to do it, Lucy. I made a promise to him and I need to be a man of my word!" Gray says but Lucy looks away.

"He's not the only one with doubts." Erza says

"If Natsu causes harm to our members or civilians then it is my duty to protect them no matter what." Erza continues

"She has a point, Lucy. We need to protect everyone from danger." Macao adds

"He hasn't done anything wrong!" Lucy shouts angrily as Levy stands up from the chair.

"I agree with Lucy. When I was with Natsu in the runes, his eyes were showing so much pain. He's not himself right now and we need to help him." Levy states as Jet and Droy jump up to support Levy. Lisanna stands up.

"I know Natsu will do anything to stop himself before any of us get to him. He will never harm anyone." Lisanna explains as Elfman nods his head.

"Why did things have to get complicated?" Gajeel whispers as he bites down onto a metal screw. Gildarts and Makarov stare at the guild members quietly. Happy decides to see how Natsu is doing so he flies to the infirmary.

"It pains me to do this, but I made a promise and I intend to keep it." Gray says firmly as Lucy glares at him.

"I hope you come to your senses later because this doesn't sound like you." Lucy warns as Happy emerges from the infirmary with panic in his eyes.

"Natsu and Kaden are gone! There's a trail of blood on the floor and the window is open wide!" Happy shouts


	9. Chapter 9: Shawn

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm so glad you guys are liking the story and If you were wondering about Kaden, a good friend Luffyxjuvia21 created him and is currently writing an awesome story, so check it out if you have the chance. Again thank for leaving me sweet reviews and i'm so happy you enjoy the story. Hope you enjoy the chapter! :)**

 **Flashback: Natsu and Kaden in the infirmary**

Natsu wakes up to hear a loud commotion from downstairs but it doesn't bother Kaden as he has his eyes closed. To others they would hear some mumbling, but Natsu can hear some fragments of the conversation. Natsu looks at his ankle to see it bleeding through his dressing which causes it to stain the white sheet. Kaden glances to see Natsu is finally up but looks more alert than ever. Natsu gets up from the bed then limps towards the window.

"Going somewhere?" Kaden ask as he grasp Natsu's wrist firmly while he fights not letting go from the burning sensation in his hand. Natsu starts to set his fist on fire and Kaden backs away. Natsu opens the window then leaps down and Kaden follows suit.

* * *

 **Present**

Regular story line

Natsu ignores the pain in his ankle as he walks away from the guild. He notices not many people were out, but he didn't care for them. He hears footsteps from behind and turns around to see Kaden running behind him. Kaden stops in his track to stare at Natsu with agitation and worry.

"You know I have better ways to relax." Kaden says as he stares at Natsu's bleeding ankle.

"And you should take it easy." Kaden adds as Natsu stares at Kaden.

"No one asked you to follow me." Natsu retorts

"And no one asked you to run away." Kaden quips as Natsu stays quiet.

"Either I made a valid point or you're planning my death." Kaden says

"Why do you want to help me?" Natsu ask as Kaden points at his guild mark.

"Because we protect each other no matter what comes our way." Kaden reassures hoping it would convince Natsu to come back but it doesn't work.

"This guild seems like a great place to be in, but I don't belong there." Natsu answers as he turns his back to Kaden and the guild.

"You take one more step then you're a coward." Kaden says angrily as Natsu turns his head and gives a sly smile as he flaps his wings.

"You didn't say anything about flying." Natsu quips as he flies into the forest.

"Great another Adora." Kaden mutter as he requips into his Roof Top Slinger and Slicer. He is wearing a green armor with a hood on his head which has two ninja swords on his back. However, if you look past the swords you can see a guild mark on his back.

Kaden starts running into the forest as he blends with the scenery surrounding him. As he gets deeper into the forest, he hears wings flapping on his right side. He stops in his track and peers through the thick bushes to see Natsu landing. Kaden waits for Natsu to drop his guard then tackles him to the ground. The two wrestle on the ground as Kaden gives Natsu a left hook punch across his face.

Natsu snarls at Kaden as he places his talons on Kaden's chest then sinks his claws deep into his chest. Kaden holds back his scream as he head-butts Natsu which causes him to let go of his grip.

"You're even more stubborn than me and that's saying something." Kaden says with a smile

"Like you're too stubborn to die." Natsu retorts as his sets his fist ablaze then strikes Kaden square in the jaw. Kaden regains his footing then grabs both of his swords from his back.

"So what if you're a demon, you're part of a guild that cares for you immensely, so why run?" Kaden ask as he places one of the blades poise near his hip while his rear blade is held with the hilt high above the head and the blade sloping downward.

"I knew you were stubborn, but I didn't expect you to be an idiot. You don't get it, I'm not just a demon. I am the deadliest demon to exist and they want me dead." Natsu answers bitterly.

"And so humble as well. Why do you think they want to kill you?" Kaden ask as he keeps his guard up.

"Survive this fight and I'll tell you something they don't know." Natsu teases as he walks closer towards Kaden.

"Leave me be and I'll let you leave here with all your limbs." Natsu warns as he lets both his hands go on fire.

"Tempting but I'm supposed to watch you so you're coming back with me." Kaden quips as he grips onto his swords tight.

"I'm losing patience with you!" Natsu shouts as Kaden smiles

"Finally we agree on something." Kaden says as relaxes his position and lets his arms down. He runs towards Natsu with great speed then stops to raises one of the swords protect his head while he attempts to slice Natsu's side. Natsu's burning fist grabs one of the blades. His flaming fist is starting to heat up the blade as Natsu prepares to jab Kaden in his abdomen.

"You're really an idiot." Natsu mutters as Kaden retracts the sword swifty then uses the other one to quickly slice Natsu's leg.

"Takes one to know one." Kaden smiles as he notices Natsu's ripped pants. Natsu feels a sharp pain in his leg and ankle.

"Still haven't recovered from our last encounter?" Kaden ask with a smirk on his face. Kaden moves rapidly towards Natsu as he rises one sword above his head and the other on his side then twist his body to let the other sword to attempt to slice at Natsu's waist, but Natsu dodges in the last minute.

Natsu lights up his body on fire then propels towards Kaden at high speed as he head-butts him deeper in the forest. Natsu and Kaden stop moving but Kaden doesn't give up so easily. Kaden slams his knee in Natsu's abdomen and when Natsu closes his eye, he notices that Kaden is gone. Natsu stand quietly in the forest waiting for Kaden and begins to feel his shoulder moist. He places his hand on his shoulder to notice that it's his blood.

Suddenly a sharp pain radiates on his left and right wing causing Natsu to kneel on ground. The blood oozes slowly down his wings and shoulder slowly down his back as he closes his eyes again to listen carefully. Natsu hears rustling in a nearby tree then begins to fly towards it to see Kaden. Natsu grabs his neck with his talon then squeezes it but feels a sharp pain in his chest. He looks down to see Kaden's dagger impaled in his chest then notices that Kaden is wearing a black and red jacket.

"Just like last time, buddy." Kaden says as he removes the dagger which enrages Natsu as he drives Kaden down from the trees. Each of them get hit with each branch.

As Natsu attempts to punch him, they both land hard on the ground. Kaden raises one of his dagger then slashes Natsu's face. As Kaden then roll over to get way from Natsu to catch his breath. Kaden knows he broke at least two ribs from that fall and maybe a concussion but he needs to get Natsu back to the guild.

"Now this is what I call a fight!" Natsu exclaims happily as he pounces at Kaden then pins him against a tree. Natsu leans in close to Kaden then places his lips near Kaden's ear and whispers something in his ear. Kaden's eyes widen then looks at Natsu.

Natsu's grabs Kaden's wrist tight as he bangs it against the tree continuously until the dagger falls out. The final blow causes a black and silver exceed to fall down the tree and land onto of Natsu's head then onto the floor. The exceed shakes his shake as he glares as Natsu and Kaden.

"All I wanted was to take a nap and it gets disturbed by two drunken idiots!" The exceed shouts as Natsu and Kaden look at each other angrily.

"We're not drunk!" Kaden and Natsu shout in unison.

"At least you admit that you're both idiots." The exceed quips as he crosses his arms. Something inside Natsu snaps as he feels pain in his head like something is erupting from his scalp. Natsu releases Kaden as he places his hands on his head to find two horns forming. Kaden leaves Natsu and heads towards the exceed as he scoops him up in his arms.

"Let me go! I'm not getting involved in this spat!" the exceed demands

"Shut it unless you want your sliver chest to turn black like your fur." Kaden barks as the exceed stays quiet. Kaden looks back to see a dark figure smiling wickedly at him as a stream of fire heading towards him. Kaden leaps out of the way and tumbles into some bushes.

"Now things are heating up!" Natsu shouts which is then followed by a chilling laughter.

"I'm glad that you got me instead of him." The exceed whispers

"Good to know," Kaden whispers as he hears Natsu's footsteps get louder and louder.

"This is only a minor threat." Natsu says in a chilling tone. Kaden feels a blistering heat swipe across his face then notices Natsu found out where they were hiding. Kaden's face is stinging from the attack as his face feels hot. The exceed looks at Kaden with a worried look. As Natsu attempts to grab the exceed, Kaden throws a shuriken at Natsu as it slashes his face.

"Leave the exceed alone, this is our fight!" Kaden shouts as he catches his breath then changes into Guardian of the Mystic Gate. He uses his staff and aims it on Natsu's open back wound; Natsu recoils in pain.

"Risking your life for him?" Natsu ask

"A guild member is supposed to protect anyone from danger." Kaden says as he extends his staff into a whip then slaps Natsu's leg causing him to fall.

Natsu lets out a wicked smile as he lets his cheeks expand, Kaden races towards the exceed hoping to get there in time. Natsu has his head tilted back then releases a torrent of fire from his mouth. Kaden takes the most damage as he shield the exceed from the flames, but it gets singed by some escaping ember.

"Are you okay?" Kaden ask as he makes a sharp right turn into the forest.

"Me?! Part of your face is red from that earlier attack and your back must be blistering!" The exceed shouts as Kaden covers its mouth.

"I'm fine. You got a name?" Kaden ask with a smile as he sees a bright light and some buildings ahead.

"Shawn. Yours?" Shawn ask

"Kaden. Let get ourselves healed, alright?" Kaden ask as Shawn smiles.

 **'This is only a minor threat.'- Told Ya So by Get Scared.**


	10. Chapter 10: Forgive Me

**Glad to see you guys adding my story in your favorites or following it! Hope you like this chapter and leave a review if you have a chance. Hope you have a great day/evening/ night. :)**

Regular story line: Fairy Tail Guild

Mira and Kinana are handling each of the mage's request from serving them to answering any questions circulating the guild. However, Gildarts remains quiet as he watches his friends talking or formulating a plan to save or kill Natsu, both of which have their flaws. Gildarts turns his attention to Lisanna trying to comfort Happy while Lucy and Juvia talk. Normally Juvia would sit next to Gray but today she remains at a safe distance from him. Gildarts ponders if Gray will be able to kill one of his closest allies in order to fulfil his father's wish.

Suddenly, the door opens wide as Kaden staggers inside the guild out of breath while holding a slightly burned exceed in his arms. Some of the guild members stand up in utter shock as Kaden looks up and smiles.

"See, I found it even with a concussion." Kaden whispers as he looks at Shawn.

"Don't act all high and mighty just because you found this place." Shawn says as he gets out of Kaden's arms then uses his aera to give Kaden some support.

Juvia and Lucy run towards Kaden to help Shawn with the load. Wendy notices that Shawn has minor burn wounds but she knows Kaden used himself as a shield to protect the exceed. The moment Lucy and Juvia grab a hold of Kaden, Shawn let of his grip then removes his aera and falls down into Wendy's arms. Happy goes to follow Juvia and Lucy to the infirmary.

"When I pictured two women by my side, I didn't mean for it to happen in this situation." Kaden whispers as he gives a sly smile.

Juvia and Lucy make it inside the infirmary then place Kaden gently on the infirmary bed. Kaden winces again from the burn wounds being agitated by the sheet. Wendy walks in with Shawn in her arms then places him at Kaden's lower part of the bed.

"He has more burn marks, Lucy." Juvia mutters sadly as she looks at Lucy's sullen face. Wendy starts healing Shawn as he wonders if this is all Natsu's doing.

"You should see the other guy." Kaden quips as he gives Juvia a smirk.

"Did you find Natsu?" Lucy ask as she looks at Kaden with pleading eyes but Kaden just stares at Juvia.

"You're a sight for sore eyes. Do you have a name?" Kaden ask as Juvia blushes

"Juvia and this is Lucy." Juvia says as she motions her hand towards Lucy.

"He liiiiiiikes you." Happy squeals as Juvia turns bright red. Juvia begins to wonder is she as another person fighting for her love.

"Your friend is going to be alright." Wendy says with a smile as she begins to motion her hands over Kaden's body.

"Don't overdo yourself, Wendy. All I need is some TLC from a certain lovely lady and I'll be fine." Kaden coaxes as he winks at Juvia. Kaden notices that Lucy has a worried look on her face then changes his tone.

"He whispered something to me earlier while we were fighting." Kaden announces as Wendy starts healing him. His words cause Lucy's eyes to sparkle with hope.

"What did he say?" Lucy ask as Kaden glances away to avoid her stares when he says it.

"He said he heard everything and not to worry because he has an idea." Kaden says as he looks back at Lucy.

"What do you mean?" Happy questions

"He didn't say much but he mentioned the book of E.N.D near the end." Kaden answers as he points at the exceed who stares at him with annoyance.

"All I wanted was to take a nap until you and that idiot had to make a ruckus." Shawn retorts

"Well you can sleep now." Kaden says as he winces from his bones popping back into place.

"Lucy, he's still in the forest but be careful." Kaden warns as he see Lucy running out of the infirmary with Happy by her side.

"How was he?" Juvia ask as she looks at Kaden.

"He isn't a human anymore; he's just a vessel holding a demon." Kaden revels as Juvia and Wendy wonder if Natsu can truly be saved.

* * *

Regular story line: Forest

The forest is once again quiet and serene once Natsu and Kaden's match ended. While looking at his reflection in river, Natsu feels an overwhelming amount of power surging through his body. Could it be the reason behind his hot body temperature? He looks down to notices the cuts on his ankle and back are healed and wonders if it's because of his new form. Natsu notices that his toes have become like sharp talons and parts of his clothing are shredded from his transformation and previous battles.

He recalls the whole conversation from when he was in the infirmary and hearing unfamiliar voices fighting for and against him. He picks up one particular woman's voice that kept defending him against a man's voice. He knows it wasn't Levy because she spoke once but he doesn't want to dwell on it. As he gets up he smells something in the area, his ears twitch a bit for hearing something from afar. Natsu ignores it as he attempts to walk away but then begins to wonder how he got the scarf around his neck.

He grasps it in his hands and stares at it hoping it will bring back any memories but nothing. Anger builds up inside him as he forcibly removes the scarf around his neck then begins to walk again. The same scent he smelled earlier is now stronger than ever as he turns his head to footsteps from his left side. He sees a blonde woman with a blue exceed flying above her. The blue exceed lands on the ground with a smile on his face.

"Natsu!" Happy shouts as Natsu notice that the exceed isn't either scared or angry at him, but happy. However, when he looks at the blonde woman has a worried look on her face.

"Natsu…." Lucy whispers as she attempts to walk closer but Natsu steps back.

"Come back to the guild, Natsu, please?" Happy pleas but Natsu shakes his head. Happy and Lucy look at Natsu's bare neck then the scarf in his hand.

"That's a death sentence and you know it." Natsu retorts as he looks at the two with anger.

"They're just scared, Natsu. We can calm them down just come back." Lucy begs as she walks closer to him then places her hand on his shoulder while ignoring the burning sensation in her hand.

Natsu tries to avoid her gaze but he looks and notices that she has her hand on his hand. Lucy lifts his hand to let him look at the scarf again. Happy walks over to them hoping his friend can snap out of it.

"That's the scarf Igneel gave you." Happy explains with a smile.

"Who?" Natsu ask as he shrugs Lucy's hand off his shoulder and begins to walk away from them.

"Do yourself a favor and stop following me. You're just going to get hurt and disappointed." Natsu warns as he turns his back towards Lucy and Happy.

"Are you referring to you or us when you mentioned the last part?" Lucy questions as Natsu feels a sting in his chest from her words.

Natsu drops the scarf on the ground then begins to walk way until he feels a small tug on his wings. He looks back to see Happy holding onto Natsu's wings even though his paws are starting to turn red. Natsu looks at Happy's eyes and notices that the exceed is crying.

"No, you're no running away again! You're my friend and I'm not going to lose you." Happy cries.

Suddenly, a sharp pain radiates inside Natsu's head as he recalls from the first moment he saw Happy hatch from his egg to their first mission together. As more memories flood his head, the pain intensifies.

"You may not remember who you are, but you can't ignore the fact that we care for you! You're my friend, Natsu, can you remember that?!" Happy shouts as Natsu kneels on the ground from the constant memories flooding in his head with Happy.

Natsu feels tears forming around his eyes as he hears Happy weeping from his statement. He feels the grip on his wings lessens and hopes that Happy let go from his wings.

"Happy…" Natsu whispers softly then feels a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Please come home, Natsu, let us show you that we…." Lucy trails off as she realizes what she was going to say.

"Show me what?" Natsu ask as he still has his back towards her. Happy looks at Lucy with confusion in his eyes.

"That we…love you." Lucy mutters as she feels her face getting hot.

Natsu feels the pain in his head returning as he encounters more memories with Lucy from how they met to how he was the first person she showed her guild mark to. He remembers their S-class exam match with Kain then with Hades and remembers how she always believed in him.

"If this is love then I don't want to be loved." Natsu remarks as shrugs Lucy's hand off his shoulder them gets up from the ground then continues to walk.

"What do you have planned for the Book of E.N.D?" Lucy questions

"What's the point of telling if you're going to forget afterwards?" Natsu ask then makes a sharp left turn into the forest.

"What you said back there were you referring to you or the guild members?" Happy ask but Lucy begins to walk away.

"I guess you were talking about you." Happy sighs sadly as he goes to retrieve Natsu's scarf then runs back to Lucy.

Somewhere deep in the forest again, Natsu is hiding among the trees and lets his tears flow down naturally. He knows that the voice in the guild defending him was Lucy.

"Forgive me, Lucy and Happy." Natsu mutters

 **'Please come home again, let me show you we're good enough for your love.' - Stumbling In Your Footstep by Get Scared**

 **'If this is loved, then I don't want to be loved.' Sarcasm by Get Scared.**


	11. Chapter 11: Fear

**So sorry about the long update but I had four exams this week so I had to massively study. However, don't know if you'll like this but I made this chapter longer than usual to make up for lost time. I hope you are enjoying the story and I hope you will stick around when I make new stories. Thank you and please review when you have a chance. Also to the people that have been reviewing, following me, following my story and putting me and my story in your favorite list, I would like to thank you for reading and giving me the motivation to continue writing. :)**

 **TW: mentions the term suicide.**

Regular story line: Fairy Tail Guild

Walking sullenly back to the guild, Lucy and Happy wonder if they will never get Natsu back or at least remember them but so far it has been futile. Lucy looks at Happy clutching onto Natsu's scarf and feels a tug in her heart. Lucy enters the guild noticing the whole guild stays silent knowing she wasn't successful. Gray, now shirtless leans back at the pillar as he notices Lucy's and Happy's faces.

"Guess you found him." Gray says as he walks towards Lucy then places his hand on her shoulder. Juvia watches from across the room with anger in her eyes as she watches Gray placing his hand on Lucy's shoulder. Lucy avoids his gaze as she looks down at Happy.

"Look, I know it looks bad but we have to think of the greater good here." Gray says cautiously, but something inside Lucy snaps when he said that.

"The greater good? You honestly think I believe that? You think you can go and kill your teammate, no your friend that easily? Will you be able to look at yourself in the mirror when the deed is done?!" Lucy questions.

Happy looks up to see Lucy is really fuming with rage and he believes that if you look closely, you can see fire in her eyes. Gray lets out a sigh then attempts to speak. The rest of the guild members look at them and watches them carefully.

"I don't want to do this, Lucy, but I made a promise to my father." Gray retorts but Lucy isn't budging.

"If the tables were turned, Natsu would do the same, Lucy." Gray argues.

"Do you honestly think Natsu will be capable of doing that, Gray? Natsu will get mad but he will never ever betray a friend like that. When you became part of the Avatar Cult and left Juvia for six months, he wanted to bring you back kicking and screaming. He was mad at you, but he wanted you in his team even after you told us that you were only getting information. Natsu has always been there for us and now when he needs us the most, you and some of the member start turning your back to him." Lucy explains as she notices some of the members looking down avoiding her gaze.

"The problem is we're not dealing with Natsu, Lucy. Zeref's strongest demon is out there with people walking around him. If he were to ever get upset and lash out at them then we will have bigger problems." Erza argues as she gets up from sitting next to Kaden.

"I know this is hard to hear, Lucy, but this unfortunately needs to happen. As a guild we need to protect people from danger and if we need to get rid of Natsu then so be it." Macao states as he looks at Lucy.

"And we are also a family and we protect each other!" Levy shouts from her bench while Jet and Droy cheer her on. Patherlily looks at Gajeel wondering what he's take on this issue.

"What do you think the outcome will be?" Patherlily ask

"Natsu isn't the only problem here. If this keeps up, we will have a war." Gajeel replies as he hears the arguing grow louder. Patherlily nods his head then notices Gildarts leave the guild.

* * *

Regular story line: Woods

Natsu sits on a tree branch as he leans his head against the tree feeling guilty for not telling Happy and Lucy that he remembers them, but he doesn't want them to get involved. He starts formulating a plan on how to attack Zeref but he knows nothing about his whereabouts or how to approach him until he hears footsteps from below. Natsu looks down to see Zeref looking up at him with a smile on his face. Anger and hatred fill Natsu's body as he jumps down from the branch and faces his brother.

"And here I thought I had to chase you down." Natsu says menacingly as glares at his brother.

"I understand you're angry." Zeref reassures as Natsu sucker punches Zeref across his face. Zeref spits out blood and smiles at his brother.

"You're ready." Zeref smiles as Natsu picks up Zeref from the ground.

"What do you want from me?" Natsu mutters as he fights the urge to not beat his brother to death.

"To kill me." Zeref confesses

"Besides that, why me out of all the demons in that stupid book of yours?!" Natsu shouts as Zeref just smiles at his brother's rage.

"Because they're all weak, but you are my strongest one. You are my proudest creation, Natsu and I knew one day you will have the power to kill me." Zeref answers

"There's a catch, I can feel it." Natsu says as he loosens the grip on his brother's clothes.

"You have my eyes when you get angry. Also, if you kill me, you will die as well." Zeref confesses and Natsu lets go of his brother. Zeref lands on his feet and stares at Natsu.

"Will your book cease to exist?" Natsu ask as he remains eye contact with his brother.

"Yes, you and every demon that is mentioned in that book will die along with you and me." Zeref answers

"Will it remove any memories about any encounters with these demons?" Natsu ask

"Seems you have an agenda planned." Zeref smiles

"If this doesn't work, I'm going to kill you." Natsu warns as Zeref laughs.

"Then let's hope it doesn't work. If you wish to end this once and for all, find me. You know my scent so it wouldn't be difficult." Zeref says as he begins to walk away. Natsu watches his brother walking away until Zeref speaks again.

"When you live as long as I have, you start losing faith in humanity and begin losing the sense of being alive. Your mind wonders and you start wondering what death feels like, why people fear it, do you feel a warm light or coldness around your body, and the most important one, wondering if you'll be missed or hated? We're not part of this world, Natsu, this curse may have been a blessing in disguise for you. You will see everyone's true intentions when faced a predicament. We're born alone and die alone, Natsu and unfortunately if you are committed to this, you will suffer the same fate again." Zeref says as he walks deeper into the forest.

"Nightfall, Zeref." Natsu orders then walks the opposite direction from his brother.

Somewhere in the woods, Gildarts aimlessly walks around the woods wondering what he is going to do with Natsu. He couldn't think in the guild with everyone arguing and he wonders if he should kill Natsu or save him. He walks deeper into the woods not worried where his path might take him so he decides thinking then it leads him to reminiscing about Natsu when he was younger and smiles. Something inside Gildarts tells him to stop in his tracks as he looks up to see a dark figure staring at him.

"The most fearsome demon in the world and he was in front of us all this time." Gildarts says as he looks at Natsu. Natsu looks at Gildarts as if he is a stranger; the lost look on his face hits Gildarts hard.

"Guess you haven't gotten your memory back yet, huh?" Gildarts ask as Natsu begins to back away from him when he notices a black guild mark on Gildarts.

"You're in that guild are you?" Natsu ask

"Yeah, we're actually friends. I knew you since you were a kid except without all your extra features." Gildarts answers as Natsu sighs.

"You're wasting your time, old man." Natsu warns as he begins to turn his back.

"Yeah just like that blonde girl with the blue exceed." Gildarts retorts as he notices Natsu's body tense up.

"What are their names, Natsu?" Gildarts ask

"What makes you think I know?!" Natsu questions

"Judging by how tense you are when I mentioned her." Gildarts remarks

"I'm tense because of a careless idiot." Natsu grunts

"That makes two of us. Now how about you quit the act and tell me the truth." Gildarts says sternly. Natsu turns around to face Gildarts.

"I don't remember anyone." Natsu lies as Gildarts stare into his eyes.

"Not even Lucy or Happy?" Gildarts questions as he notices Natsu's eyes water a bit.

"I'll ask you one more time, do you remember." Gildarts sighs

"Happy, Levy and Lucy." Natsu mutter as Gildarts punches him across the cheek so hard that he falls to the ground. Natsu stays on the ground letting the blood in his mouth ooze out slowly. Gildarts ignores the burning sensation in his hand as he glares at Natsu.

"You idiot! Do you know how stupid and selfish you're being right now! There are people back at the guild worried about you and here you are walking around while your friends are worried sick!" Gildarts reprimands as he kicks Natsu with his good foot in his stomach

"And there's some people there who want me dead. You honestly think the woman with the cards took me out that easily? I woke up few minutes later and faked being asleep." Natsu confesses as he gets up from the ground. Gildarts looks at Natsu's body healing itself.

"I'll be out of your hair soon so you don't have to worry anymore." Natsu adds

"What do you mean by that?" Gildarts ask as Natsu stays quiet.

"I'm going to make use of your self-healing very soon if you don't give me an answer now." Gildarts warns

"I'm going to get rid of Zeref and it will solve their problem." Natsu confesses as Gildarts looks at Natsu worriedly.

"What do you mean by get rid of?" Gildarts ask fearing the answer.

"I'm going to kill Zeref." Natsu announces

"You're going to get yourself killed if you go off on your own! One or both of you will die." Gildarts states

"Let's hope it's both. If I kill Zeref then I will die with him" Natsu says with a serious look on his face. Gildarts' face turns pale as he hears Natsu's words.

"It's suicide, Natsu!" Gildarts exclaims as he looks at Natsu. What worries him is that there is no hint of fear or regret. Gildarts grabs Natsu's shoulder.

"This isn't a win-win situation. Listen to me, we will find another way to kill Zeref without killing you." Gildarts begs as Natsu glares at him.

"You better let go before this gets ugly." Natsu warns

"I have beaten you countless time and just because you're a strong demon won't make a difference." Gildarts threatens as Natsu releases from Gildart's grip then flies above the sky and circles around Gildarts.

Natsu uses Fire Dragon Roar while circling around Gildarts causing a barricade of large flames surrounding him. Gildarts' vision is impaired but his senses are sharp he moves to the nearest tree. He feels a sharp pain in his shoulder and feels Natsu dig his talons deep into his shoulders. Gildarts firmly grasps Natsu forearm then slams himself against the tree causing Natsu to yelp. Natsu gets off Gildarts as Gildarts grabs Natsu and delivers a strong uppercut punch causing Natsu to fly a great distance.

"Look how fast you went without using your wings. Zeref's strongest demon and you can't manage to beat me?" Gildarts teases as Natsu gets up slowly. Natsu lights up his body then flies at high speed towards Gildarts until he touches Gildarts palm causing Natsu's attack to be reduced immensely. The fire surrounding them slowly starts to die out.

"Stop embarrassing yourself and come back to the guild." Gildarts scolds as Natsu gets up again from the ground until Gildarts slams his hand on top of Natsu's head causing him to make a dent on the ground.

"Don't you get it? You may want to end your life but not everyone is fine with that! I have watched you grow up, I have seen you cried, I have seen you laughed, and I have seen you smile. You're an annoying brat but that doesn't mean I'm ready to see you dead!" Gildarts shouts as he fights back the tears in his eyes. Natsu's head starts pounding hard as he start remembering playing catch with Gildarts, how he fished with him and how he is always smiling.

"You may be fine with wanting to die, but I'm not. There has to be another way, Natsu just please don't do this." Gildarts begs as Natsu gets up from the ground.

"I can't change back to how I used to be and I try to remember but nothing happens. I know they all want me dead and can you blame them? If Zeref dies then every demon in that book dies along with me including every memory you have with these demons" Natsu explains.

"People don't die from old age, diseases, or traumas. They die when someone forget them and you're robbing every one of that. Who gives you the right to that?!" Gildarts barks

"I'm saving them from him! Nothing will convince me otherwise." Natsu says as he begins to flap his wings causing the rest of the fire to fade away and begin to ascend until Gildarts grabs his ankle.

"Natsu, please!" Gildarts begs

"Fear is not evil, Gildarts." Natsu says as Gildarts releases his grip from the shock. He watches Natsu fly farther away from him. Fear isn't evil but it can make a grown man fall onto the ground cursing at himself for not trying hard enough to keep him here longer.

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter! :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Took You Long Enough

**Almost done with the story! :D**

Regular Story Line: Guild

Tension fills the guild as each of the members are now at odds with each other. Lucy and Happy watch Erza and Gray from afar hoping that when this is all over they can go back to the way things were. Lucy turns her attention to Juvia and sees that she is not near Gray, which is extremely rare. However, the tension hasn't gotten everyone since Kaden is casually talking with other members for information or tips about fighting or simple life hacks.

"So, you and some of these members were gone for 7 years?" Kaden ask as he looks at Lisanna.

"Yeah, we were stuck in time so some of us didn't really age." Lisanna answers

"You and the others look just amazing!" Kaden says with a smile as Lisanna blushes. Kaden smiles until he sees a dark figure walking towards the guild.

The dark figure enters the guild grasping his bleeding shoulder while he lets the other one bleed slowly down his shoulder. Cana's eyes widen as she realizes that the dark figure is her father and he isn't looking so good. She runs towards him but he just smiles at her.

"50 jewels he found Natsu." Kaden announces as Lisanna playfully punches him.

"Give the kid 50 jewels." Gildarts grunts as he sits down on the stool. Wendy rushes towards him and begins to heal him.

"What happened?!" Cana shouts with a worried tone but Gildarts just gives her a reassuring smile.

"This is nothing. He only got me once and it felt like a little sting." Gildarts reassures as Cana calms down a bit.

"We got bigger problems than my wounded shoulders. It seems that we underestimated Natsu." Gildarts adds as Makarov and the other members look at him with a curious look,

"What do you mean?" Wendy ask as she finishes healing Gildarts.

"Thank you, Wendy. Now, Natsu overheard our conversation about him being a problem to us, so he plans to take on Zeref by himself." Gildarts says as Lucy's eyes widen.

"Natsu is the one that plans to kill Zeref but if he does kill him…." Gildarts hesitates as he tries to hold back his tears.

"What happens if he does kill him?" Cana ask fearing to hear the answer

"Natsu dies along with Zeref and all the demons in the book of E.N.D." Gildarts laments as he brings his head down to avoid the Guild's worrisome looks.

"What? Doesn't that idiot know the flaw with that?!" Gray barks as Gildarts looks at Gray with anger in his eyes.

"He does and the worst part is that he isn't regretting his decision. Nothing is scarier than a man who isn't afraid of death." Gildarts admits.

"What happened if the book is destroyed?" Levy ask

"He thinks if the book is destroyed any memories associated with the demons in that book will be erased from our memories." Gildarts explains

"Then that means….no." Lucy whispers as she starts to think of a life without any memories of Natsu.

"Natsu." Happy whispers as he fears losing any memories of his best friend. Gray punches the pillar trying to fight back his emotions.

"Gray?" Juvia questions as she sees something she hasn't seen in a while, anger.

"I can't take it anymore." Gray confesses as he brings his arms down then clenches jaw. Lucy turns her head towards Gray and notices that the cool demeanor Gray had all this time just evaporated.

"Why him?!" Gray shouts as he starts to breathe slowly to calm down but to no avail. Juvia gives him a concerned look.

"I thought I would be able to do it, but I can't bring myself to do it. I made a promise to my dad, but I didn't know that it would end like this. He's my rival, my teammate, and my friend. I can't, I can't lose him." Gray cries as he begins to tears up. Lucy tarts to realize that she wasn't the only one suffering.

"Why didn't you say this earlier?" Lucy ask

"I was in denial with the whole situation. I thought it was the right thing to do." Gray confesses as Kaden get up from the table.

"Do you wish to help him or kill him? I'm not going to lie, both will be difficult so choose wisely." Kaden announces as he looks at Gray.

"I can forget my father's promise, but I can't lose him like this." Gray admits as he looks at Kaden.

"Then step it up and find him before he fights Zeref!" Kaden orders as Gray gives him a nod then smiles.

"There's something you should all know about Natsu. He's slowly getting his memories back." Gildarts says

"So he remembers us?" Mira ask

"No, he only remembers a few." Gildarts answers

"The old man did say that those who show acceptance towards Natsu he will start to get his memory back." Carla explains

"So did he say who he remembers?" Wendy ask

"Happy, Levy, Lucy, and me." Gildarts sighs

"He remembers us?" Lucy whispers as he looks at Happy with a shocked expression.

"Well, why did he keep this a secret until now?" Elfman ask

"He would have kept it if I didn't catch him in the act. He never said why he kept it a secret." Gildarts sighs as he thinks about Natsu walking in the woods trying to find his brother

"He won't be meeting anyone until I get my hands on him. How dare he keep this kind of secret from us?" Erza ask with anger and sadness in her tone.

Lucy gets a chill down her spine as she remembers Natsu walking away saying she will just forget about it. He gave her a hint of his plan and she didn't pick it apart fast enough. Happy places his paw on Lucy's leg as he notices the sadness she is feeling right now.

"Enough! Natsu may not have told us about him getting his memory back because he is trying to protect us just like he always has. He thought we didn't care for him so he hid it and he's now going to fight Zeref thinking we don't care for him in his state. Natsu is always putting us before him, so for once let's make him a top priority and help him!" Happy announces as he lets his tears flow down his cheek.

"I don't care if you're not with me but I won't lose my best friend." Happy adds as Lucy places her hand on his head.

"We can't let Natsu die, we have to help him!" Romeo exclaims as he slams his hands on the table.

"Before you go and get yourselves hurt, we need to devise a plan and figure out where Natsu and Zeref are going to fight. We will have team Natsu go and the rest stay here in case Zeref decides to attack the guild" Makarov comments

"If it isn't in the woods, then I will be utterly disappointed." Kaden adds

"Joke all you want, but he might be there with Zeref." Gildarts notes

"We'll go there tonight!" Lucy announces as Happy nods his head. Wendy and Carla nod there head in unison to Lucy's comment. Lucy looks at Gray and Erza hoping they might go too.

"Alright, we can meet in front of the woods the moment night falls." Gray comments as Lucy lets out a sigh of relief.

"Juvia will go," Juvia says as she walks towards Gray.

"Oh, then I am absolutely going." Kaden chimes in as Shawn nudges him

"If we die, I'm going to bother you in the afterlife." Shawn quips

"Oh, come on, live a little." Kaden quips with a bright smile.

"It seems we have quite the team now." Erza says in a serious tone.

"Really?" Lucy questions

"I want to personally beat him for keeping a secret from us." Erza says as she glares at Lucy causing her to shake a bit.

"Thank goodness, she's on our side now." Lucy admits as Happy nods his head.

"Group A will be the following: Lucy, Happy, and Gray." Erza announces as Gray and Lucy nod their heads.

"Group B will be the following: Kaden, Juvia, and Shawn." Erza adds as Kaden give Juvia a reassuring smile but she frowns.

"Group C will be the following: Wendy, Charla and I." Erza concludes

"Any objections?" Erza adds as she looks around as no one shakes their heads.

"We head out at night." Gray announces as everyone nods. Gray turns his head towards the window to notices the sun starting to set down.

* * *

 **Night**

Regular Story Line: Woods

As night falls, the three groups are at front of the woods feeling trepidation and anxious. Kaden notices Juvia staring Gray and smiles at her then places his hand on her shoulders. The sudden touch makes her jump as she looks at Kaden.

"He'll be fine, Juvia. If you get nervous let me know and maybe I can tell some stories to distract your worries." Kaden reassures

"You would do that for me?" Juvia questions

"Yeah, hate seeing a fellow member feeling down or worried." Kaden says with a smile.

"If any of you find him, send a signal of any kind to inform the other groups of your location." Erza commands as the groups take a different path into the woods.

From the other end of the woods, a woman is walking deep into the woods feeling a bit nervous if she is going to right way and hopefully will be able to find Kaden.

* * *

Natsu P.O.V

His scent is still lingering in my nose as I walk farther into the woods. The scent is now becoming overwhelming but that's when I noticed that he is right in front of me. His cold demeanor hasn't changed since our earlier encounter but it doesn't faze me.

"There's no going back, Natsu." Zeref says as I look into his dark eyes to see no sign of light inside. I ignite my fist then sucker punch him across his cheek. He move his body a bit then balances himself.

"Don't try to talk!" I shout as I ignite my hand then slash at him but he's dodges each attack swiftly then creates a black orb in his hand and aims it towards me.

I dodge the attack and saw nearby trees and bushes wilt. I turn back to him and he just smiles at him again.

"That's only one technique up my sleeve." Zeref lectures. His words, his tone, or just looking at him makes my blood boil.

I launch myself again towards him and grab his clothes then ignite my fist with as much fire as possible and punch him in his face. I heard something snap as I release my grip then saw blood running down his mouth. Once he gets up, I see his body starting to heal and now I'm getting really annoyed.

"You're holding back." Zeref says as he gets up.

"Do you need another incentive?" He ask calmly as a black aura starts to form around him. His eyes are now red as the black aura expands its radius killing everything in its path.

His cocky attitude is more irritating than before. I swipe my arms in a circular motion to create a strong flow of fire hoping it would do so damage and it did. My body felt a bit weak for a moment when I saw him struggling to get up for a moment. He walked towards me with that same cocky smile then reaches into his cloak to pull out the book and places it away from him.

"It seems I won't be needing that anymore." Zeref confesses as he walks forward. He looks at me with his face badly burned and blistering then smiles once again.

"One more for the road." Zeref says as he swipes both of his arms in a circular motion until the bottom of his hand meet.

The hand on top has the index and middle finger pointing upwards, while the other hand has the little and index finger pointing downward. I decided to go into Lighting Fire Dragon mode to counter his attack.

A black aura surround him so I use Lighting Fire Dragon Roar. His attack and mine cause a huge explosion causing both him and me to get a great deal of damage. As the smoke starts to leave, my body feels numb then I see Zeref with large wounds all over his body.

"Thank you." He says as he walks towards me then collapse on the ground.

"Shut it." I grunted as I attempt to get up but it's futile.

I feel a heavy weight on top of me then I realize that a tree is on top of me but at least I am able to turn my head, well partially. I saw the book starting to disintegrate slowly which explains why I feel weak.

"Die alone." I whisper painfully as tears start to flow down my face. My breathing is unstable and the numbness in my body causes me to slowly close my eyes.

* * *

Regular Story Line: Woods

The three groups run towards the fire hoping it isn't what they think it is. Group A is trying to catch up to Lucy as she runs faster than. Then the explosion came which make her run even faster.

"Please don't." Lucy grunts as she follows the smoke.

"Lucy, slow down!" Gray shouts as he tries to catch up to her but she ignores them. The dead trees and wilting bushes fuel her fear as she slows down.

"Star dress: Taurus Form!" Lucy exclaims as a white light emits from her body. Afterwards, he's wearing a bra with sleeves consisting of cow patterns and pants that leaves her right leg entirely revealed. She a pair of gloves and boots as well as a belt and bag around her waist. Her hair is in 2 buns, one at each side of her hair, but still leaving some of her hair loose. Taurus' zodiac sign is on her belt buckle.

"But where's Taurus?" Happy ask as he and Gray finally reach her. She ignores him and continues to run until she sees a few trees toppled down and then sees a tree on top of Natsu.

"No." Lucy says as she punches the tree hard enough to cause it to turn into splinters.

"Lucy!" Gray shouts as she desperately attempts to hold Natsu.

"Come on, wake up. Wake up, Natsu!" Lucy shouts as she looks at Natsu's pale face.

"Lucy, the book is disappearing!" Happy exclaims as he brings it to her then drops to the ground to see his lifeless friend.

"Natsu, this isn't time to sleep. Wake up!" Happy nudges Natsu but nothing.

"No, this can't be happening." Lucy whimpers as she carries Natsu in her arms and he feels so light due to his wings beginning to disappear. She gently places him on the ground and no reaction.

"This isn't time to joke around. Wake up already, Flame Brain!" Gray shouts as he shakes Natsu.

"Lucy, look.." Happy whisper as she turns to see Zeref's dead body on the ground then she starts to hyperventilate.

"Lucy, breathe." Gray says places his hands on her shoulders but it doesn't help.

"We're too late. We should have gotten here earlier and maybe we could have stopped it." Lucy cries as she hears more footsteps. She pushes Gray away then turns to Natsu. She notices the wound on his body are extensive and deep. She place her hand on his cheek and it's cold to touch then at his chest and nothing.

"Is he okay?!" Erza shouts as her group and Kaden's group run towards Lucy. Lucy turns her head with tears in her eyes.

"Let me try something." Wendy says as she tries to heal and notices no change. Carla attempts to stop her but Wendy doesn't budge.

"Wendy, please don't." Lucy begs as she places her hand on Wendy's hand

"Let me make it up to him, Lucy!" Wendy pleas as she begins to cry.

"It won't work, Wendy." Erza says sadly as she notices Natsu still body.

"We were going to go on more adventures and get stronger together." Lucy whispers as her tears fall down on his cheek. A woman walks towards the group and Kaden turn around then smiles.

"Hey, took you long enough!" Kaden exclaims as the woman smiles then walks towards him.

 **Sorry for it being so long but I got into this part of the story. Please leave a review when you have a chance and hope you're doing well. :)**


	13. Chapter 13: Give Me Your Hand

**Last Chapter! I hope you enjoyed the story and I look forward to writing more Fairy Tail stories. Thank you for following the story, liking it, and leaving reviews.**

Regular Story line: woods

The woman looks at Kaden with sad eyes as she glances at the two dead bodies on the ground. The woman has a red tank top with a black jacket that accentuates her bust and her curvaceous body. The gentle breeze shakes her skirt a bit as she moves closer to a grieving Lucy. Her small hand squeezes Lucy's shoulder to catch her attention. Lucy's eyes meet the woman's green eyes which brings out her straight black hair.

"Please, help him." Lucy pleas as the woman gives her a small smile. The woman looks at Kaden as he gives her the go. The woman walks over to Natsu and stares at his extensive wounds. She places her hand on his cheek which feels a bit warm, but it's slowly fading.

"Has he been revived before?" the woman ask with a soft tone.

"Once by his brother." Lucy answers as the woman sighs then bites her lip.

"Is he worthy to be saved?" The woman ask as she looks at the group.

"What do you mean by that? Of course, he's worthy. He's a good guy and always there to help his friends even if the odds are against him. Please, just help him because we can't lose him not now." Gray begs as Juvia squeezes Gray's hand. The woman glances back at the body and sees someone with so much life and how it abruptly ended.

"Okay, I can do it but we need him to be somewhere comfortable for him and me." The woman says as she scoops Natsu in her arms and notices his body is light.

Happy grabs the fading book then looks behind him to see Zeref starting to disappear slowly and hopes that Natsu doesn't suffer the same fate.

"The guild isn't that far from here, Adora." Kaden states as he leads the way as she follows suit. The others follow them and wonder what Adora and Kaden have up their sleeves.

"What do you think she has planned?" Lucy ask as she runs after the group.

"Don't know but let's hope it works." Erza answers as Lucy wonders if Natsu will ever come back.

* * *

Regular Story Line: Guild

The guild members watch the door with vigilance and fear as they worry if Zeref would attack them before finding Natsu. The door opens wide as Kaden holds the door for Adora as she looks at the members. Natsu's body temperature is rapidly declining and he is starting to become transparent.

"Kaden, what happened?!" Lisanna ask as she eyes Natsu's limp body.

"Is he dead?!" Gildarts cries as he looks at Natsu's limp body.

"Do you have a bed?!" Adora ask urgently as Romeo points to the door at the second floor.

"Thank you." Adora adds as she races up the stairs as Kaden follows suit behind her.

"I take you know each other?" Shawn ask as he flies next to Kaden.

"Yeah, training buddies." Kaden answers as he races past Adora to open the door for her.

"Good to know chivalry isn't dead." Adora quips as she enters the room.

"I told you I am a gentlemen." Kaden smiles as Adora places Natsu on the bed. Lucy, Gray, Happy, Erza, Wendy, Carla, and Juvia enter the room to catch a white light emit from Adora.

Adora has a light pink armor covering her arms but leaves her hands exposed. Her chest plate has a caduceus emblem in the center of her chest with a matching light pink armor skirt. She has a thin white socking under her skirt with thigh high light pink armor boots. Her hair is in a loose bun and her right hand holds a sliver sword glistening under the bright light as she walks towards Natsu's body.

"Wait, she can requip like Erza!" Happy exclaims

"She's not the only one." Kaden corrects as Happy shyly looks away from him. Kaden turns his attention to Adora.

"I thought you can only resurrect a person once?" Kaden ask

"Wait, you're bring him back to life?" Wendy ask

"You're not the only one you picked up a few tricks down the road." Adora quips as she grabs the pink hilt with both hands and carefully places it on top of Natsu's chest.

"Anastasia's Light!" Adora shouts as she pummels the sword straight to Natsu's chest. However the sword begins intangible once it makes contact to his body then emits a soft yellow light. Adora grits her teeth as she feels her insides tearing up internally and a crushing pain in her chest. The wounds on Natsu's body start to heal as they close up and leave him good as new.

As the yellow light begins to die out, Adora collapses to the ground and returns back to her regular clothes. A thin stream of blood escapes from her mouth as she hears footsteps growing closer.

"Is your new trick scaring me to death?!" Kaden shouts as he help Adora up to her feet. She's weak from using her power but manages to look at the group with a weak smile.

"Sorry for the scare." Adora smiles as she glances back at Natsu.

"What did you do to him and are you okay?" Lucy ask worriedly

"I gained the ability to resurrect those that are worthy of resurrection such as a good people that died too soon. However..." Adora coughs as Kaden guides her to the infirmary bed.

"Five months ago, I learned to rescurrect people a second time but it comes with a price; I take their damage and there's is a 50% chance he may come back. I gave him the path to find his soul and whether he decides to accept it will be up to him." Adora explains as she gives Natsu a worried look.

"You forget the fact that it scares your friend half to death!" Kaden corrects as Adora weakly smiles at him.

"Well I guess there's that perk." Adora coughs as she notices that Natsu's body is slowly becoming whole.

"Sometimes voices from loved ones helps them find a better incentive to stay. Some say that they see those they care about help them out." Adora says as she looks at the group.

"Just rest right now. It's not fair to argue with someone in your state." Kaden warns as Adora playfully punches him.

"I look forward to your lecture." Adora says softly as she closes her eyes. Kaden lets out a sigh then looks at the group.

"She means well but she doesn't think about herself at times. I'll give you guys some privacy and don't worry when she's asleep nothing can't wake her, so feel free to say whatever." Kaden states as he leaves the room.

* * *

Natsu P.O.V

I walk around aimlessly looking for some kind of exit but it's just a never ending dark tunnel. I feel a tight feeling in my chest the farther I walk deeper into this abyss. Is this my punishment? Eternally walking in this abyss but at least everyone that I can remember got saved. I see a bright figure walking towards me which causes me to cover my eyes a bit.

"It's nice to see you without your wings, Natsu." The figure chuckles a bit as I touch my upper back to feel no wings. I know that voice anywhere as they walk closer.

"We have been on a lot of adventures, huh?" Lucy says with a soft voice that sends a chill down my spine. I try to open my mouth but nothing comes out.

"We did a lot like recruiting our old friend's again, Natsu, but I didn't think we had to bring you back like this. When I first meet you, I thought you were just some lame mage that was my teammate, but as we went on more jobs I saw a friend that I wouldn't hesitate to help no matter what." Lucy cries as I see the tears forming in her eyes. Another figure starts running towards me then leaps on top of me. I look up to see Happy with tears in his eyes as he looks down on me.

"Natsu, you have to come back. We lost Lucy once and now I don't want to lose you too." Happy begs as the tightness in my chest increases when I look at him.

"Come on, Flame Brain, this guild will be quiet without you. You need to fight this and come back to our world!" A guy with dark blue hair shouts as he looks at me with determination. It clicked inside me that he was the one that wanted to kill me but something in him changed; it's Gray.

"The book is disappearing and we still remember you, so guess your theory was flawed." Gildart's says as he walks towards me

"You can' give up that easily, Natsu. We can't lose our teammate." A girl with dark blue hair says as she is next to a white cat.

"Don't make her and Happy upset. You now that they care for you and you care for them." The white cat says as I begin to remember them.

"I refuse to outlive one of my brats, time to get up, Natsu and find what you need." A short old man approaching me with a loving look. I notice my body is slowly changing back to normal as I start to remember these people.

"You made us stronger, Natsu, so let us return the favor and help you out!" Levy says with a warm smile as I get up from the ground and notice more people around me. My memories are flooding in like a current as I look at the people I am leaving behind.

"See, told you we loved you, Natsu. Don't leave us not now or ever, please. You're more than a friend to me and I don't want to lose you. There's hope in your eyes, there's hope in their words. There are far too many reasons for you to stay here on this earth, so stay with me." Lucy begs as she extends her hand towards me. I turn around to see the whole guild surrounding me as I see a bright light shining behind them. I walk towards it to see myself but it's transparent and clear.

"You've grown so much, Natsu. Don't let all your hard work go to waste." A commanding voice says as I turn around to see a scarlet haired woman staring at me.

"The choice is yours if you want to take that and come back with us, but know that you will never be forgotten if you choose to go." The woman says as I feel my tears streaming down my face. I remember everyone and they remember me. Lucy walks closer to him then extends her hand again.

"You've been fighting alone for a long time, Natsu. Give me your heart and your hand and we can run back home." Lucy smiles as I look at the bright light then at her. I extend my hand towards her and we interlock them.

"Want to walk there together?" Lucy ask as I nod my hand. The light is overwhelming as I close my eyes again.

* * *

Lucy P.O.V

My heart is racing from all that I said to Natsu and if he heard me was causing me to blush. The whole guild grins at me from what I was saying to him then I feel a tightness in my hand. I look down to see Natsu's hand holding mine and now I'm blushing even more. Then I realized, he moved his hand!

"Natsu?!" I shout as I see him slowly opening his eyes and they're back to normal.

"You're alive!" Happy exclaims as he jumps onto Natsu's body which has no damage. Adora gets up from the bed to notice a whole crowd watching Natsu with tears streaming down their face.

"Remember me?" I ask shyly as holds Happy in one hand then leans close to me. He places his forehead on top of mine then smiles.

"Can't forget about you, Luce." He says with a wide grin as more tears fall down my face as I hugged him tight.

"Sorry about everything." Natsu says as he places his hand on my back. Emotions can't describe how I feel but he's back, he's back.

"Team Natsu is back, huh?" I chuckle as I wipe away my tears.

"Always and forever, Lucy." Natsu smiles as he lets go from the hug.

"They liiiiiiike each other." Happy says as he looks at us.

"Yeah, I guess we do." I answer as Happy looks at us with a shocked face.

"You do?" Natsu ask as he smiles again and I nod my head.

* * *

 **Prologue**

Adora looks at Makarov then hesitates what she should tell him. He looks at her with concern look then escorts her outside of the infirmary then closes the door behind them.

"Something is on your mind, child." Makarov says as Adora looks at him.

"There's something inside him but it hasn't grown yet, Sir. When I use Anastasia's Light, it can sense any disturbances inside the body and something is growing inside him." Adora explains

"What do you suspect?" Makarov ask

"Too early to indicate but I know it isn't going to be good." Adora answers

"I see, so what do you have planned now?" Makarov ask as Adora smiles at him.

"Hoping if your guild will accept a new member." Adora answers shyly as Makarov smiles at her.

"We're always looking for new members. Welcome to Fairy Tail." Makarov announces as Adora smiles.

 **The END**

 **'There's hope in my eyes, hope in these words. And there far too many reasons for you to stay on this earth. Stay with me.'- Don't Lean On Me by**

 **The Amity Affliction**

 **'Give me your heart and your hand and we can run.' - Million Dollar Painter by Pierce the Veil**


End file.
